E 83 
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.P61 



THE ADVENTURES 



"ANTELOPE BILL" 

IN THE 

INDIAN WAR 

of 1862. ^ED 
BY PARKER I. PEiRCE. 



10820 



2nd COPY, 




To Her, who affectionately cared 
for me in childhood and who in later 
years has been my adviser and friend. 
To my mother, Mrs. L. T. Peirce, these 
pages are respectfully and affectionately 
dedicated. — 

P. I. PEIRCE. 




An-peMtu~to*ke-ea (Other Day,) 

who rescued 62 Whites and who killed not less 
than 15 Sioux. 



The author of these pages was an eye-wit- 
ness to about all of the events recorded here, 
and has endeavored to acquaint the reader with 



unvarnisbed facts connected with our history. 

Not one line of fiction is iecorded here and 
no attempt has been made to cover faults of 
expression. Frontier phrases have not bjen 
avoided. 

The within written pages are from the 
journal of a boy of seventeen years who was 
saved from the tomahawk and scalping knife, 
by a friendly Indian* He most sincerely hopes 
that a degree of thankfulness will rise in the 
mind of the reader as he compares the perilous 
past with the peaceful present. 

PARKER I. PEIRCK. 

Marshall, Lyon County, Minn. 



rom childhood days upon the sea- coast 
^^p|ofMaine, till the removal of my father's 
family to Maukato, Minnesota, in the 
early fifties, I had earnestly wished to meet 
with an Indian. 

In the spring of 1862 I was a beardless 
boy of serenteen years. 

I was filled with unrest and that desire for 
adventure which most boys of that age experi- 
ence. I told my father that I should like to 
go up the Minnesota river among the Indians 
and work for the government. Father gave 
his consent telling me that the Indian agent 
was about to visit the Sioux (Soo) agency and 
would be up the river in a few days on the 
steam propeller, "The Favorite," and on his 
coming he would arrange with hira for me. 
As expected, the agent conferred with father. 

At first he said he had what men he 
wanted, but upon reflection decided to tike 



one more. In tbe meantime my older brother 
Henry had concluded to go with me. 

His going pleased me. I was glad of his 
company. 

In those days boat arrivals were infrequent, 
so wc waited patiently and some days elapsed 
before the ' 'Jeanette Roberts" loaded with 
supply of goods for the Indians rounded the 
bend of the river on her upward trip at the 
same time blowing her peculiar dull whistle. 
Our home was in the country but brother 
Henry and myself were in town. We went 
aboard the boat and saw the captain. It was 
eleven o'clock A. M. The boat would move up 
the river at three o'clock P.M. Cabin fare was 
15 and sterage fare was $2. Our pocket book 
being thin we took passage at $2 steerage. We 
went home, packed goods, and at three o'clock 
P, M., were on the boat. This was May 22nd 
1862. 

Boat bell rang. Ropes were pulled in 
and we were off. 

Away we went making slow progress, for 
although the river was high the boat was very 



— 9 — 

heavily loaded. Here homesickness came 
creep'ng over me. 

1 wished I were at home; but to jump 
ashore and go home would shew a lack of grit 
and I decided to stick to the boat. 

The v e was nothing on the river to attract 
the eye save low timber and floods ood until 
we had journeyed four days, when at about 
four o'clock P. M. ? we saw far ahead of us, 
moving objects. Sure enough they were men. 

My heart fairly jumped for joy. We 
could once more look upon some "human face 
divine." Their number seemed to increase, 
the nearer they came. At last I heard the 
captain say he guessed the Indians were glad 
to get their annuities by the way they were 
coming; to the landing. 

In a short time the whistle blew and we 
were at the landing. W e went ashore and 
were among the Sioux — the most warlike tribe 
in the west. 

Was the picture once drawn in our youth- 
ful imagination truthful? No. Words fail to 
express our disgust on seeing those creature 



— 10 — 

before us. A half mile walk up the hill 
brought us to the top of the bluif and to the 
Government or Lower Agency, 

Not far distant from here, during the first 
days of September, on the opposite side of the 
river, the battle of Birch Cooley wag fought 
eighteen miles above Fort Ridgley. 

Here at this Lower Agency was located a 
church, and schoolhouse, a stone warehouse, a 
blacksmith shop, a hotel with a boarding house 
where the employees were fed and lodged. 
We stopped at the hotel and on inquiry 
learned that the Government Agent had gone to 
the Upper Agency at Yellow Medicine, thirty 
miles farther up the river. We staid over 
night and resumed our journey the next morn- 
ing. Going about half a mile we came to the 
trading post. 

There were three stores. We called at 
one of these. Here were Indians exchanging 
furs for flour and sugar and squaws buying 
beads. On the counter there were four or five 
half-breeds partly asleep. The proprietor was 
a white man. We expected he would be glad 



— 11 — 

to see gome of his own race, but no; he had 
lost his affinity for ties like these. He was 
liring with a squaw to whom he had been mar- 
led for years. Going on from here we shortly 
passed large brick dwellings upon improved 
farms. These houses were furnished with 
pianos and other civilized furniture. The In- 
dians were lying about their houses while the 
nearly nude papooses were running about and 
the women were performing the farm work. 
We passed Little Crow's village and coming to 
the Redwood river, crossed it near its mouth. 
Going a short distance up a high hill we came 
upon a broad plateau on which stood a large 
house. Seeing at a glance that white people 
lived here, we called for a drink of water. 
Receiving a polite invitation from the lady of 
the house we walked in and rested cn chairs 
ottered to us. The lady inquired of us our 
business and we were inquisitive enough to ask 
what they were doing up in these wilds. 

We learned that the inmates of the house were 
boarding the farm hands who were improving 
Indian farms. The overseer of the farm hands, 



— 12 — 

Mr. Joe Reynolds, wai the husband ol the lady 
of the house. Here were two young ladies. I 
reflected. How lonely they must be. But the 
truth was they were government employees and 
were receiving a good salary. After resting we 
left this homelike place to walk 22 miles far- 
ther before reaching the Yellow Medicine 
Agency. Homesick again. 

Onward we tramped, and when we had 
gone about half the distance we came across 
some Indians. 

We had our coats thrown across our 
shoulders. They jerked them from us, talking 
to us in Sioux, which we did not understand. 
They were going in an opposite direction from 
us and we naturally turned our heads to see 
what they meant, expecting every moment to 
receive a bullet from their guns. After a while 
they threw our coats to the ground and mo- 
tioned for us to come for them. They knew 
we were scared at first sight. We considered 
this a close call and travelled on till we came 
to a higher rise of ground. Then we had a 
good view of the country for miles around. 



— 13 — 

[Near here was fought the battle of Wood 
Lake a few months later.] 

In June, 1862, Prof. H. B. Wilson, pro- 
fessor of mathematics, in Hamliue University, 
located at Red Wing, Minn., resigned his po- 
sition to assist his country in her hour of need. 
He took command of Company F,, 104 men, a 
large percentage of whom were students from 
Hamline* — pupils of their captain. He joined 
the Sixth regiment of Minnesota volunteers in- 
fantry. Captain of Co. F. Sept. 22 the battle 
at Wood Lake was fought. Capt. Wilson's 
company charged amid a shower of balls, on 
the double quick through a ravine and put the 
Indians to route, Capt. Wilson was severely 
wounded. 

The country west of us being very flat we 
could see the Upper Agency and the American 
flag waving aboye it. This «ight was re- 
freshing; our journey's end was near. 

We came to the valley of the Yellow 
Medicine. The banks were skirted by low 
timber; it flowed on for a mile or so and dis- 
charged its waters into the Minnesota, forming 



— 14 — 

very nearly two right angles at its mouth. We 
looked down into the valley. Here were the 
buildings of the traders. We passed by them, 
and taking the trail which wound up and about 
the bluff came up the steep hill and reached 
our long desired resting place. We were at 
the government buildings. We went to the 
largest of these and inquired for the agent. 
He was within. 

The jolly, pleasant man received us and 
directed us to a white house forty rods away, 
telling us that the boss farmer lived there. 

We went to Mr. Goodell, the superintend- 
ent farmer. He told us he would find some- 
thing for us to do in the morning. He showed 
us our room and bed. This was to be our 
boarding place. In a few minutes the supper 
bell called us to the table, where a repast was 
enjoyed, which the writer has never seen ex^ 
celled since that time. After supper I went to 
my room to rest. 

I was homesick and among strangers. I 
thought could I but be landed back to civiliza- 
tion I should be willing to give up my most 



— 15 — 

important garments, with boots and hat. I 
was tired; every bone in my body ached. 
There were four occupants in the room be- 
sides my brother and myself, and I was told 
that here teamsters hauling Indian supplies 
farther west, often found lodgings. Bed time 
came. We tumbled into bed regardless of the 
noise about us and were soon in happy dream^ 
land. 

It seemed but a short time before we heard 
the breakfast bell calling, arousing us from our 
sleep. Where are we? 

I jumped from bed and dressed in a hurry; 
I was desirous to make a good impression as 
an early riser, We breakfasted, then called on 
Mr. Goodell and told him we were ready for 
business. He told my brother Henry he 
would give him eighteen dollars per month. 
He looked at me, a moment, as if in a study, 
and then said he did not need me, as he was 
full-handed. I was "thunderstruck." I 
thought a moment, then said: "Mr. Goodell, 
I am all tired out. My feet are blistered. I 
would like to stop a few days — would work for 



my board." "Ail right," said he. "I hare a 
garden to make. Have you ever worked at 
gardening?" I replied. 4 'Yes, sir, I excel at 
that work." Said he: <k Come with me." He 
took me out a little south of the house, to a 
piece of wild prairie. Said he, "here I want a 
bed of beets, here a bed of carrots, here a bed 
of onions and lettuce; this and that for other 
things." I thought to myself, "this is 
tough;" but I made him think it was all right, 
for I was determined to please him, cost what 
it might. He told me where the hoe, 
the shovel and the axe were. The axe was to 
be used in driving stakes. 

Before sundown I had the beets and car- 
rots sowed. O! How tired I was. At sup- 
per time, Mr. Goodell wished to know how I 
liked farming for he had not looked at my 
work during the day. I expressed satisfaction 
with work, only the sod was decidedly tough. 
Said he: "I guess it is; how long do you think 
it will take you to make the garden?" I re- 
plied, "about a week, if it does not storm.' 7 
All the time I was wishing it would storm for 
about a week. 



- 17 — 

Here let me say for the information of 
those who are unacquainted with the sod of 
the uncultivated prairie. The sod for two 
inches downward is a compact mass of tough, 
interwoven roots, and these of all sizes, from 
that of fine spool cotton, to the thickness of 
half an inch in diameter 

The next morning was lovely. The 
breakfast o'er, Mr. Goodell said his wife would 
give me the seeds when I would be ready for 
them. Probably she had not told him how 
the work had progressed. He said he was 
going to Lac-quiparle and should be absent 
for several days. 

Another day's work was before me, At 
dinner time I had made good progress. I was 
thirsty quite often and went to the house for 
drink. I chatted with the women at these 
times, bringing them fresh supplies of water, 
kept their wood box well supplied with fuel. 1 
was homesick again. I wished Mr. Goodell to 
be at home so I could get excused and retire 
to Mankato. I did not express my thoughts, 
and after deliberating, decided to < 'stick.'' Oh, 



_ 18 — 

those tough, sod-covered bluffs! Why does 
not Mr. Goodell break the sod with his team? 
But then, what does he. care as long as he 
has not to do the work with his own hands? 
Thus, I soliloquized. The next day found me at 
the same job. My poor hands blistered! And one 
of my boots about gone, worn out by bearing on 
the spade to force it through the sod. Night 
came. Mrs. Goodell came where I was at work 
and said, "Parker, that patch is large enough for 
the potatoes." The ii^xt day at ten o'clock, 
the garden was finished. Mrs. Goodell told 
me to come to the house and clean up the 
doojyard, and by night I had it looking tidy 
indeed. Mrs. Goodell gave me much praise, 
and telling me to sit and rest awhile, 1 com- 
plied with her request without a second invi- 
tation. It was very warm; I was fatigued, and 
soon I was nodding, when a yoice near by 
startled me. "Are you ill?" It was Mr. 
Goodell speaking to me. I explained to him 
the condition of the garden and dooryard. It 
was all satisfactory to him. Together we vis- 
ited the garden. I saw by the expression of 



— 19 — 

his face that he was pleased with my success. 
Said he: 4 'Parker, do you think you can 
wheel this pile of dirt out to the cistern to 
morrow? Before the next night the dirt was 
piled by the cistern and besides a dozen pails 
of water and many armfuls of wood had been 
carried tu the house. That night I was home- 
sick, and thought I had worked long enough 
for my board. If I stayed much longer I 
should be without skin. I decided to start for 
home in the morning. 

Morning came. We had an early break 
fast as there were teamsters who wished to be 
away to arrive at a certain point before sun- 
down. Mr. Gcodell did not rise as early as 
usual, so I hung around and chatted with 
those about me till the sun was quite high. 
Mr. Goodell was not up. I wished to be on 
my way home; I was very nervous. At about 
9:30 o'clock Mr. Goodell made his appearance. 
I kept out of his sight till after breakfast 
when I went to him and told him I thought 1 
had worked long enough for my board and 
wished to go back home, as I was rested. He 



— 20 — 

replied: "Oh, no. We cannot do without 
you. The women will wash to-day, and you 
can help them." After a moment's reflection 
I decided to remain. 

I spent a very pleasant day pounding 
clothes, bringing water, keeping up the fires, 
and picking over beans and dried fruit for the 
next coming meal. The day after this, with 
brother Henry and t\* o others, I worked on 
the meadow planting potatoes. Prompted by 
the bet of a pair of moccasins by one of the 
men. When noon came I asked Mr. Goodefl 
how much he was allowing me as wages. 
The reply came, "eighteen dollars per 
month." I was satisfied. About 40 rods 
east from the agent's house was the govern- 
ment warehouse built of brick and two stories 
high. In the rear were T. J. Galbraith's 
rooms. A little north was Dr. Wakefield's 
residence; northwest was the boss-carpenter's 
residence, a large two story brick building. 
East from our boarding house was Mr. Given's, 
the second agent's house, and also the house of 
Mr. Noah Sinks, the clerk. 



— 21 — 

Traders, four in number, were half a mile 
away, down below the hill. A mile or so 
away the Yellow Medicine flowed into the 
Minnesota river. There was timber on both 
streams and some on the bluff north of the 
agency. The government buildings stood on 
a high bluff one side extending and spreading 
out upon the prairie westward. 

After planting potatoes for a few days 
government cattle were driven to the agency 
and Mr. Goodell placed them in my care for 
herding. Among the cattle were half a dozen 
cows. I would drive them south across the 
Yellow Medicine river, and stay with them till 
about eleven o'clock, when leaving them, I 
would come home for dinner. I continued to 
do this for a week. After that I drove them 
to the pasture and returning home left them 
till three o'clock P. M., when I would go for 
them, driving them home at six o'clock. Mr. 
Goodell said the balance of the time I could 
pull weeds in the garden, or help about the 
house. As it w r as a dry season few weeds 
grew and I had more time to assist about the 



— 22 — 

house. Mrs. Goodell was like a mother to 
me and Mary Hayes like a sister. 

Here I had a fine opportunity to study In- 
dian character, as the Indians were our con- 
stant visitors. No Sioux would kill a Sioux. 
No Chippewa would kill a Chippewa. No 
Winnebago would kill a Winnebago. 

Very few murders were committed by 
Indians of those of the same tribe. The pun- 
ishment for murder was this: To be tied 
hands and feet; the ponies of the condemned 
were brought before him and killed. He was 
then whipped, cut with flints, and pricked 
with sharp sticks. This was continued 
until the murderer w T as nearly dead, when he 
was turned over to the medicine man for treat- 
ment. It is said < 'the Indian talks as he 
thinks!" Does he? No: Most emphatically. 
They consider their Great Spirit, their Mani- 
tou, not as a good spirit, but as one possessed 
of all the evil attributes which we ascribe to 
the chief of devils, Is each created being like 
the God whom he worships? Then the Indian 
is known by his cruelty. Cruelty instead of 



— 23 — 

mercy. They have no pen, ink or mail car- 
riers. How, then, do they send messages from 
the Mississippi to the Missouri river? They 
hare trails which run in a>l directiors for 
miles. It is known that friends and relatives 
travel such and such trails. AIL along such 
trails there are knolls or ridges. Those are se- 
lected for post o ffices, (They do not employ a 
postmaster) Here is placed a large pile of 
rocks which at a distance looks like a man. It 
can be seon for miles. The message is left at 
this pile of rocks by taking small stones and 
placing them in such a way that the receiver 
can read it, he alone understanding the signs. 
Sometimes instead of stones, sticks are stuck 
in the ground. No one has a right to disturb 
those any more than one has to open and read 
a letter belonging to another party. By these 
they can inform whether one has gone east, 
west, or to such a timber, lake or river. Each 
locality is in some way, designated. 

When one is sick, he receives treatment 
at his tepee or is taken to the medicine man. 
He is given an herb infusion; then the medi 



— 24 — 

cine man will beat his drum around the sick 
man's head at the same time chanting his in- 
cantations. 

Thev manufacture two kinds of arrows; 
one is for killing game, and the other for war- 
fare. The one used f»»r killing game can easily 
be removed from the wound. It is rounded 
at point. The other for warfare is made of 
hoop iron and is pointed sharp. Th ;-y are 
made with a straight shoulder back of point. 
They cannot be pulled out but must, if re- 
moved, be pushed through the flesh in which 
they are embedded. Sometimes they are cov- 
ered with gum and when they strike the blood 
the gum will melt. When trying to remove 
the arrow, the head will remain. Hawk's 
feathers in the hair denote the number of 
scalps taken. 

A large number of dogs around an Indian 
camp signify war. In battle, the chief will be 
located on a high elevation of ground. They 
use a looking glass to signal the army to go for- 
ward. They will never kill a bear, a snake or 
a wolf. The wolf they believe to be the dog 



— 25 — 

of the Great Spirit. They never allow a white 
roan to tell them a second untruth. One who 
has once deceived them had better remain at a 
distance. 

They believe in dreams, especially the 
dreams of old women. They often look for 
an enemy advised by dreams. An old wom> 
an unable to work had better be dead, 
they think. The women are the ones 
who weep; the men never shed a tear. 
Blood never scares a brave, and to be 
called a coward, means blood. The Indian 
women will never tan or dress a hide which 
has more than one bullet hole in it. Two or 
more holes would denote want of skill in the 
the use of the rifle. 

When their friends die, they wrap them in 
blankets and put them on a scaffold built of poles 
or in a tree to remain till the flesh dries. Some- 
times these bodies will be taken down and bur- 
ried but this is seldom done. The women will 
put meat at the foot of the tree or < 'staging," 
for a time. This is given at sunset. The 
dogs and wild beasts come and devour this, but 
they think the Indians come from their happy 



— 26 — 

hunting grounds and eat it. The guns and 
equipments of the Indians are wrapped and 
buried with them, as they will want to hunt in 
their happy hunting grounds as they do here. 
Their names — such as Cut Nose, Grey Eagle 
and Red Cloud, are given them at birth. In 
the tepee or out of it, the first object not her 
own which the mother sees after the birth of her 
child, gives name to the child. The mother 
saw a red cloud in the west (the door of the 
tepee being open) she called her son "Red 
Cloud." Another, whose husband had killed 
an eagle, in like manner called her child Grey 
Kagle," 

I was satisfied with my place. I bad only 
to drive the cattle and milk two cows for eigh- 
teen dollars per month. I could go and come 
when I pleased; my going was quite often. Mr. 
Goodell told me to take any of the horses from 
the stable and use whenever I chose to do so. I 
was happy in this and could imagine myself 
the "boss farmer" and Mr. Goodell the hired 
man. Not much occurred from day to day to 
change the monotony — the hum-drum way of 
liring. 



- 27 — 

An old squaw came daily to get the leav- 
ings from our breakfast and one day she slyly 
took a butcher-knife, although she denied it. 
Mrs. Goodell refused to give her any more food 
till the knife should be returned. At length 
the thief returned the knife saying another 
squaw stole it and she found it. She became 
very friendly with the women and told them 
all the Sioux were doing or saying. Had 
they known this, it would have been death to 
her. There seemed to be a mystery about, 
pervading the very atmosphere. We enter- 
tained an undefined dread of the unknown and 
the whisperings of the old squaw did not di- 
minish our unrest. 

One week before that eventful day Aug. 
i7th, 1862, my attention was drawn to some 
oat leaves that were growing in the cowyard 
back of the stable. On them was the letter 
"B" as plain as if made by printer's ink. I 
called to Mr. Givens, He silently studied the 
leaves for awhile and then with emphasis ex- 
claimed: <k B is for blood." 
Sure enough; within a week blood came. 



— 28 — 

Before this, whenever our nation was en- 
gaged in warfare, the Indian was sure to take 
an aggressive part. The white settlers on our 
frontier and we at the agency bore this in mind 
and whispered it. At the same time events 
were occurring near by us of which we at the 
agency were ignorant but of which we were soon 
informed. The Indians — the most savage peo- 
ple the earth has ever known — these wards* of 
our nation were suffering from wrongs both 
real and imaginary — were starving. Our civil 
war was then trying men's souls. 

Suddenly in early August, there came a 
general uprising of the savage upon the help- 
less, peaceful inhabitants of our borders, north, 
west, and south. We have not time or room 
here to relate the atrocities committed. Terror 
filled the hearts and palsied the hands of 
< 'brave men." 

About this time Standing Buffalo would 
come to the agency for annuities. He would 
dress nicely in blanket, leggins, beaded moc- 
casins, and with plenty of paint upon his face. 
I heard a young lady say i 'he is handsome 



— 29 — 

enough to kiss." He was indeed, a fine look- 
ing Indian. Whenever he came I would take 




him to the milkhouse and give him all the 
milk he could drink. No other Indian relished 
milk. 



— 30 — 

At one time the agent had all the chiefs 
come down to hold council and get a good 
dinner. The dinner would bring them from 
any distance. The agent exclaimed: < 'We 
will first have dinner and talk afterwards. 
The table was set for about twenty guests. Rev. 
Williamson was at the table and said < 'grace" 
in the Sioux language.He first requesting them to 
bow the head. All complied with the request 
excepting one; in eating he was about five min- 
utes ahead of the party, and he kept the place as 
leader, to the last. Soon the food was out of 
sight. Not infrequently a hundred Sioux fam- 
ilies would come down for their annuities and 
camp near the agency, get their rations and re- 
turn to their homes some sixty miles away. 
Some lived near by in nice houses of brick 
w T itb a cultivated piece of land about their 
dwelling place. They were ruled by chiefs 
and came in bands. The chiefs would draw 
the rations, then the Indians would sit in a 
circle while the goods were equally divided. I 
will say here each farmer was entitled to a 
yoke of oxen, a cow, plow and seeds, fish hooks 



. — 31 — 

and line, needles, guns and pcwder — in short, 
every needed thing which a farmer usually hads 
upon his farm. I have known them to live in 
their tepees and put their ponies in their brick 
dwellings. The women performed the drudg 
ery — were their slaves. Standing one day by 
the warehouse 1 saw dust flying in the distance. 
I spoke to Charley Renville, (the interpreter) 
about it. He said he thought it to be Indians 
coming after rations. After a little they 
they made their appearance "pell-mell." They 
were after a Chippewa Indian; an enemy. 
Deadly hatred existed between the Sioux and 
Chippewa tribes. I saw a poor Chippewa in- 
humanly treated one day. His tortures were 
too cruel to relate. 

The Indians were to receive from the gov- 
ernment twenty dollars per head for each in- 
dividual, children and all. 

The last of July or the 1st of August, 
1862, the Indians were to receive their pay. 
Generally on these pay days there would be 
trouble, as the Indians sometimes became un- 
manageable; so much so, that the agent con- 



eluded to send down to Fort Ridgley for Capt; 
Marsh (who was shortly afterward killed by 
the Indians) and his company. The captain 
could not come, so ordered his brave and 
fearless lieutenant, T. J. Sheehan with his 
company to the agency. They arrived and 
the money was looked fur every day. The 
Indians would come and go. The agent told 
them to go home and attend to their corn and 
he would let them know when ready for them* 
Eight hundred of them came and camped half 
a mile above the agency. The agent asked 
them what they meant. They said they were 
afraid of the Chippewas and felt safer where 
the soldiers were. These one hundred soldiers 
were encamped opposite the warehouse in a 
circle. They had three Howitzers. Some- 
times a party of the boys in blue would be out 
on a hunting or a fishing expedition. One 
morning I was out milking. Dr. Wakefield 
was near me doing the same, I inquired: 
"What is that shooting?" He replied "it is 
the Indians. They have sent the agent and 
Lieut. Sheehan word that they are coming 



— 33 — 

down to salute theni and not to be alarmed 
as they would do them no harm." I started 
milk-pail in hand for the house. As I passed 
the corner of the warehouse I could see them 
coming. Their ponies were on the jump. 
Going on a few rods farther, I looked up. 
They had the soldiers surrounded, their guns 
cocked, and leveled on every soldier. I 
looked to the right and saw them shooting. 
They were seeing how near they could come to 
Mr. Sink's feet without hitting him. Soon 
they aimed at me. They shot a hole through 
my milk-pail and the milk streamed out. They 
made the dust fly at my feet with bullets; 
the ground was fairly black with Indians. 
One stood over me with a tomahawk raised, 
telling me that if I stirred he would bury it in 
my skull. He could speak good English; we 
knew him by the name Josh. The soldiers were 
still surrounded. The Indians tried to remove 
the shells from the Howitzers. I saw an In- 
dian rush over to Dr. Wakefield's and get an 
axe. An Indian was chopping at the ware- 
house door with a tomahawk, but making slow 



progress, till the axe from Dr. Wakefield's 
was brought, when the door soon came down* 
The agent told them they had lied to him. He 
said: k 'You have the thing your o\*n way. 
You may kill me and my family, but I will 
not consent to your taking the goods from the 
warehouse." The old chief replied: <k They 
are ours and we are going to have them." One 
Indian drew up his gun and fired cutting the 
rope which held the flag. It came down. The 
agent told them, if they would disperse he 
would issue rations to them. He told them to 
come in the afternoon unarmed. They went 
back to camp taking only food enough for 
their dinner. One movement on our side and 
every person would have been killed. Such 
were their intentions. They had put out men 7 
so that if one attempted to escape he would be 
shot. As soon as he had left the agent got the 
employees together and armed them. The sol- 
diers moved camp to the warehouse. The 
Indians came down as ordered. The annuities 
were carried a short distance from the ware- 
house. The chiefs took, divided, and all went 
went back to camp. 



— 35 — 

Come to find out that morning these "reds" 
had shot one of our cows full of arrows. The 




agent thought the troubles were now passed 
and ordered the soldiers back to Fort Ridgley. 



The money to pay to the Indians would 
not come for sometime. During the early days 
of August the agent organized the Renville 
Rangers taking all the employees at both the 
Lower and the Upper Agencies and about all 
the half-breeds. I was the only one left at the 
agency, excepting a few employee^ Germans 
at the brickyards and those who had the care 
of the Agency. It was rather lonesome now. 
Occasionally a few Indians would come and 
hold counsel with the assistant. 



— 36 — 

At one time they brought a buffalo calf and 
presented it to the agent. At night, on bring- 
ing home the cows, I tooK one of the smallest 
and tied her in a corner of the fence and 
brought the young stranger to be adopted. 
She saluted it at first with her horns, and then 
with her htels. The calf paid no attention to 
to this, but rather seemed to enjoy the sport. 
The cow finally subsided, adopted the calf, and 
became fond of it; in a few days it went to the 
pasture with her and the other cattle. It grew 
very fat and promising. 

August 17th, I went to look after my cat- 
tie. Sure enough they were gone! I searched 
for them, riding very, very fast to get over as 
much ground as possible. I hunted high and 
low but at last gave up the search. It now be- 
came dark. I could not see. I rode past Ken> 
nedy's store. He was on the outside. Said 
he: "They are very much excited on the hill, 
are they not?" I replied, "I have been absent 
some hours; I know of nothing unusual" 
He informed me news had teen brought 
that the Indian chief Little Crow, had killed a 



— 37 ~ 

family on Beaver Creek. I put spurs to my 
horse and was soon at home. I met Mr. Good- 
ell; he told me to put up my horse and hurry up 
and eat my supper as the Indians had broken 
out at the Lower Agency. I could not eat. 
Mrs. Goodell and Mary Hayes went up to the 
warehouse; the people at the agency had gath- 
ered there. Soon John Other Day and wife 
came, telling us the Indians were holding 
council near by. They wanted him to join 
them as they were going to kill all the whites. 
He had told them he would see them again. 
He kept his eye "peeled" for fear they would 
bhoot him. He was all excitement. After 
awhile he wished me to go with him down 
towards the traders. So we each put on a 
blanket and took the trail, I keeping a little 
back of him. He met an Indian who told him 
they were going to kill all the whites. The 
Indian wished to know who I was. Other 
Day replied "a friend," He came to me and 
said "make for the warehouse as soon as possi- 
ble." I obeyed his orders promptly; I knocked 
#t the door. It was opened, and I went in. 



— 38 — 

I may as well mention here events transpiring 
down over the bluff at the traders. When the 
Indians attacked the traders at Yellow Medi- 
cine, Pete Patrolle was outside in the brush ex- 
pecting an attack; they thinking it was only a 
scare, as reports and scares were common. 
They were mistaken this time. Pete watched 
the Indian movements and saw they were in 
earnest. He left hastily on foot and followed 
the river for about seven miles. He found 
an opening and crossed over to timber. He 
had just entered it when on looking back he 
saw two "Bucks" (Indians) after him, while 
at the same time they fired their guns, shooting 
him through the body. He ran as fast as cir- 
cumstances would permit down the bluff to 
the river, jumped in and made down the stream 
keeping under the bank with his head out of 
water. He heard his pursuers pass him several 
times, but as it was getting late in the evening, 
they abandoned the search. After dark he 
went up on the prairie, found a deserted house 
and slept on the floor until morning. He then 
started on his journey. Going a short dis- 



— 39 — 

tance, he espied an Indian camp near by. He 
turned back to the house and climbed over- 
head in the porch. In a short time a squaw 
came in and seeing blood on the floor which 
had dropped from his wound, looked up and 
saw him, exclaiming: "I will go and call my 
man and he will kill you." Pete begged of 
her not to tell him but it was of no use. She 
started away. Pete got down from the porch 
and made for the timber, but being weak from 
loss of blood was very slow in getting there. 
He followed the river hoping to reach the fort. 
In about three da^ s he was picked up by sol- 
diers, cared for, recovered from his wound and 
at length enlisted in the 1st Minnesota cavalry. 
He afterward saw some hard fighting and 
came out satisfied with victories gained. 

I will now take the reader to the ware- 
house where I had taken refuge. There were 
four new arrivals; Charles Crawford, (the in- 
terpreter) a half-! reed and two Indians. 
Charley said he would stick to us as long as 
there was a drop of blood in his veins, "So 
will the other Indians," he said. Soon John 



Other Day came to the door all out vf breathy 
telling us that the Indians covered the prairies; 
had killed all the whites at the Lower 
Agency and were coming to get us. 

He said the Traders discredited the 
reports with the t^ception of Mr, Kennedy, 
who had left for Fort Ridgley. We talked 
the matter over, and decided that if die we 
must we would sell our lives at a premium. 
The party consisted of twenty men and forty- 
two women. Major Galbraith, wife, and three 
children; Nelson Givens, wife, wife's mother 
and three children; Noah Sinks, wife ana two 
children; Henry Eschelle, wife and fire chil- 
dren; Mr, German and wife; Frederic Patrol, 
wife and two children; Mrs. Jane H. March, 
Misses Mary and Lizzie Sawyer, with their bro- 
ther Charles Sawyer; Miss Mary Daly, Mis. 
Eleanor Warner, Mrs. John Other Day and 
child; Mrs. Hamharn, N. A. Miller, Edward 
Cromsie, T. Hawkins, Oscar Canfil, Mr. Hill 
(an artist, from St. Paul); J. D. Boardmaiv 
Parker I. Pierce, Dr. J. L. Wakefield, and 
several others, Occasionly some of our party 



— 41 — 

would go slyly out and return to report that 
the Indians were holding council. 

We had bales of blankets at the windows, 
and at the head of the stairs were barrels and 
loads of stone; on the arrival of the Indians 
these could be rolled down upon their heads. 
The women were armed with knives and axes 
and appeared brave. John Other Day reported 
that "the corn back of the house is filled with 
Indians." We decided not to fire the first 
shot, but were pounding out bullets, getting 
ready for an attack. 

Charles Crawford and Indians were down 
stairs most of the time and seemed to be quite 
by themselres. We had given them our best 
rifles, leaving us with shot guns only. The 
night was dark and dreary. Those about us 
wore long faces. Dr. Wakefield was worrying 
about his wife and son who had started to go 
east by team with Mr. Gleason, and the hus- 
band was thinking they must have been at the 
Lower Agency or near there, when the attack 
commenced. 



_ 42 — 

Mrs. Wakefield was taken captive and 
carried up the river where she was afterwards 
released by Gen. Sibley at Camp release. She 
afterwards published a book in which she gave 
a pen picture of her journeying with the In- 
dians. She describes them as they are riding 
in their stolen covered carriages; some dressed 
in the bridal costumes of those whom they had 
murdered. Black or dusky faces under cover 
of white satin bonnets! Every wheel that 
could be utilized was moving; even two wheels 
on which were poles, dragging one end on 
ground were loaded with Indians riding for 
pleasure. 

Mrs. Galbraith was anxious for her absent 
husband and all of us were feeling that death 
might be near to each one of us. It was now 
all so still within doors. Not a sound of the 
wind was to be heard. It was threatening 
rain without. We were at the windows watch- 
ing for the enemy to fire our buildings by put- 
ting combustibles on their arrows and shooting 
into the roof of the building. Bang! bang! ! ! 
went the guns down at the traders. At the 



— 43 — 

same time a yelling like that of demons reached 
our ears. The war-whoop was sounding! We 
could see the flash of the guns, then all 
would be silent a few minutes. They started a 
fire by the buildings. It apeared as though 
they were having a feast. Some one went 
down stairs and behold! The doors were wide 
open. Those two Sioux d — s had deserted us. 
What were we to do! They knew how de- 
fenseless we were. The shooting we had 
heard was the signal for them to go. We dis- 
cussed the matter. Said John Other Day: 
"If we start now, we shall all be killed." We 
heard a pounding at the door, and a familiar 
voice, saying, ' % For God's sake, let me in; I 
am shot!" We opened the door. Here was 
Mr. Gar vie. (We called to mind the sentence: 
"B" is for blood.) As he stepped within 
doors be fell fainting. Reviving, he told us 
his story. He was standing in the doorway 
when a bullet fired from an Indian rifle hit him 
in the abdomen. The Indians were so earnest 
in stealing goods that they stepped over him 
unnoticed thus giving him an opportunity to 

i 



— 44 — 

crawl away to the bashes. Creeping as best 
he could, he had at length reached us. We 
Loped the Indians only intended to kill 
the traders but we concluded to start by the 
coming of daylight and if possible, make our 
escape. Some were for going immediately. 
John Other Day's advice was accepted. He 
said, < 'stay till daylight; if all is well, then 
start. If then you are compelled to fight, 
fight to the last. The Indians will show no 
mercy. 

The firing without greeted our ears and 
then we pounded more for bullets as we had no 
moulds. Oh! how I wished for wings that 
we might fly away. This all seemed to me to 
be a dream. God's hand was leading us and 
we knew it not. 

The gray dawn of the morning came. 1 
Mr, Goodell said, "there are no Indians 
about the premises. I think we shall find 
them in ambush when we start." He put some 
watchers on guard while the teams were being 
made ready for the journey. There were 
three men, foreigeners, with us who stood at 



the door trembling like aspen leaves. Except- 
ing these, all worked rapidly, as Mr. Goodell 
directed. I was stationed back of the stable at 
the top of the bluff. The sun began to lighten 
the heavens in the east. I heard the brush 
erackle and told Mr. Goodell Indians were com- 
ing. He said, "do net fire first." He, coming 
nearer, I motioned him to remain where he 
was. Soon an Indian made his appearance. I 
levelled my gun at him and inquired of him 
what he wanted. He said he wished to see 
Mr. Goodell. I told him to come along. I 
took my gun from my shoulder but watched 
him closely. He came and talked, telling Mr, 
Goodell he was sorry he could not go with us. 
(TMs was the old Indian, Renville, father of 
* our deserter, Charley Renville). 

All this time Other Day was scouting 
around. The teams were made ready, and the 
families loaded in. We took with us our 
wounded man Mr. Garvie. Going northeast 
passing Labelle's farm crossing the Minnesota 
river, it not being very high, we had no trouble 
in fording. I had one pocket loaded with 



bullets the other with powder. My powder in 
the lower edge of my pocket got wet. Finding 
a canoe, I took in Mr. Hill with others and 
crossed over, after which we hurried on and 
soon overtook the teams which were moving 
slowly. Mr. Garvie's wound was now very 
painful. On ascending, the summit of a high 
hill, I turned about to take a farewell look of 
the agency. Horrors! It was all ablaze. The 
black smoke was rising in clouds and circling 
above. Tears came to some eyes. We has- 
tened on as fast as circumstances would permit. 
Two of our party going down to Joe Brown's 
farm on entering the house found our deserter, 
only "Charley Renville," who had nothing on 
his body for covering excepting his loin cldth, 
but had his gun; he said his horses were so 
poor in flesh they were unable to travel. He 
would not go with us. He said the Browns 
had gone to Fort Ridgley. The rascal! The 
deserter! A few miles further on a French- 
man joined our party. At a distance before us 
we saw what appeared to be men. By clo er 
observation it appeared they were shaking 



— 41 — 

their blankets at us. They were in the direct 
tion we wished to go. Some said, "they are 
Indians" Others said, "they aie white men." 
We halted and prepared to fight. Other Day 
and the Frenchman went ahead but soon re- 
turned, saying the strange objects we had 
seen shaking their blankets at us were sand-hill 
cranes flapping their wings, and we felt safe 
once more. Clouds suddenly gathered in the 
west and soon the rain began to pour down in 
torrents; every circumstance >now seemed to 
favor us. 

Here, some of the party suggested leaving 
and going to Fort Riclgley. Other Day re- 
monstrated, saying: "I do not wish to see you 
killed. I do not wish to be killed myself. I 
do not wish my wife killed/' (She was a white 
lady whom he had married in Washington), 
"I am going across the country, although I 
have not been this way since I was a boy." 
With the exception of two Germans, all of us 
decided to go with Other Day. 

Towards night, wishing to camp, we sent 
two men ahead to find a desirable place. They 



came to a house occupied by two Swede men, 
who were evidently in fear of the Indians. 
They could not speak English and seemed 
nearly wild with fright. Our party came to 
the house to spend the night. We gave the 
women and children bread and the men went 
without tasting food. All were glad to retire 
early. We put out our sentinels— two guards, 
placed one in a wagon, the other in a cluster 
of bushes. Those in the house placed their 
guns in a corner and wtnt to rest as best they 
could. I laid down upon a board but found 
little rest, as thesj two Swedes kept us awake 
with their songs and devotional exercises; we 
could not quiet them. After a time they left 
us not knowing whither they went and we 
never saw them again. Going out to our 
guards, we found them fast asleep. On 
their awakening they assured us there was no 
danger to be feared till morning light. We, 
thinking otherwise, changed guards, We laid 
ourselves down again for a quiet sleep, when 
some one accidentally knocked down a gun, the 
charge passing through the clothing of one of 



— 49 — 



the ladies. Had the Indians attacked us? — ■ 
was the question. For a time all was excite- 
ment After quiet was restored down came a 
wooden bowl from overhead and struck me in 
the face. Thinking or dreaming of Indians I 
placed the bowl overhead again, but not far 
enough. Soon it came down again on my poor 
face. I put it this time upon the fluor and 
slept quietly and soundly until morning. We 
awakened early the following morning. The 
women and children eating their bread we 
started. The men complained of being lame; I 
was lame, and then my poor face! We were 
off just as the sun was making its appearance. 

August 19th we kept a northeasterly 
course and came to a settlement which had 
been abandoned. Some fowls remained but 
the cattle had been driven off. Not a crumb of 
food was to be found in the houses; only a few 
turnips and potatoes were to be found. Time 
was so precious it would not do to stop long 
enough to cook them. I felt like resting; my 
moccasins were worn out and my summer 
pants worn and ravelled to the knees worn by 



— 50 — 

tramping through the tough prairie grass. We 
halted; the dust was rolling up in front of us 
and we perceived objects moving. Are these 
men on horseback before us? Mr. Goodell 
said "They are Indians, and are coming 
nearer; some are on ponies and some in 
wagons." We concluded to send a man on 
horseback to meet them. He went out a short 
distance and halted. Some men from the ap- 
proaching party came up to him. "See these 
are white men." Mr. Sinks is coming back 
with them. Sure enough; it is Capt. Dodd on 
his way to reinforce New Ulm. 

Here we are first informed of the atrocities 
committed at that place. Said Capt. Dodd: 
"If any of you wish to go with me jump in" 
Other Day and a few others with myself joined 
the party — "jumping in." Mr. Goodell re- 
monstrated saying, "Parker, you have seen 
enough already and you may be very much 
needed by us." So I climbed out of the wagon 
to foot it once more. The country we passed 
over was a sad sight to look upon. Harvest- 
ing left in all stages; shocks unfinished and 



— 51 — 

everything going to waste. At five o'clock we 
thought it about time to camp. We looked 
and saw a house before us and two horses tied 
in front. If Indians are here there are only 
two and we can easily meet them. We hur- 
ried on till within forty rods of them, when 
they, seeing us, came out of the house, mount- 
ed their horses and were a^ay. We saw they 
were white men. We shoutecL to them; the 
women waived their shawls, and Dr. Wakefield 
shook a blanket. The more we shouted the 
faster they rode. We decided not to camp but 
to follow those men. After travelling two 
miles we saw a lake not far ahead of us and 
went directly toward it. Shortly we saw a 
body of men on horseback coming directly 
towards us. We kept moving on and they 
coming nearer. At last we halted and sent a 
man ahead. They levelled their guns at him 
and held him there until they found out who 
he was. Being informed, they came up to us y 
and there was rejoicing. The two scouts sent 
out by them reported us as Indians. Cedar 
City is a town now located near this lake. 



— 52 — 



There was a great uproar among the women 
and children. We told our story over and 
over again as requested till we were nearly 
hoarse. About sundown preparations were 
made for supper. Dr. Wakefield ordered por- 
ridge for us. It will not do to eat such hearty 
food as they are preparing for you. " I did 
not follow his suggestions and consequently 
experienced extreme suffering in a few hours. 

We were in a hastily constructed building, 
its dimensions being 60x60 roughly boarded. 
I retired early, taking my lodging under a 
wagon. At midnight the rain came down in 
torrents. My wagon box was like a fine sieve. 
I rose in the dark and crawled into the building 
between two men, my feet hanging out in the 
rain. These men were unconscious of my pres 
ence till informed in the morning. I ache, 
now, on calling to mind the fatigue which I 
experienced at that time. It was with difficulty 
that the fires were started this morning as near- 
ly everything was so wet. At about nine 
o'clock the sun came out hot and dried the 
camp. Mr, Garvie was taken a short distance 




_ 53 — 



to a farmhouse where he was cared for, two of 
our men going with him. 

We talked of our departure. Some deci- 
ded to go to St. Paul, some to Shakopee and 
some to other points in the state, I was of- 
fered shoes and pants but did not accept them 
for reasons not here expressed. Mr. Goodell 
asked me to drive his team to Henderson, taking 
with me Mrs. Other Day and boy. I 
would say here that this little child was a full 
blooded Indian boy. A waif was found at the 
door. One night a cry was heard without. 
The door was opened, and a bundle found on 
the doorsteps. On looking within a baby was 
there and Mr. and Mrs, Other Day became 
foster-parents by adopting it. Doing as re- 
quested I was soon away over the prairie feel- 
ing secure from danger. Mrs. Other Day was 
• communicative and told me of a grave mistake 
which her husband once had made by killing a 
negro, supposing he was taking the life of an 
enemy — -a Chippewa, In the afternoon we .ar- 
rived at Henderson and driving to a hotel I as- 
sisted Mrs. Other Day and son to alight. 



Here a crowd came together. The questions 
were heard on every side: * 'Where did that 
Indian come from?" "What are they here 
for?" Where are they going" 6 'Rough, 
looking;" said another. We went into the 
sitting room. Sure enough the crowd fol- 
lowed. I heard one say, "let's kill that In- 
dian." I thought it time to explain and did 
so. Their tune was changed immediately. 
Their hearts eyidently were touched. Some 
one told an old Lady near by that there was 
an Indian at the hotel. She came down determin- 
ed to kill him. Such was the excitement that it 
was better to keep him out of sight. A gentleman 
brought me a sum of money and taking me to a 
clothing store I was soon dressed in a splendid 
suit of clothes. We went to the stage office to 
buy a ticket to Mankato. They knew me and 
would not take a cent. News here reached me 
of Mr. Garvie's death. I retired early to avoid 
talking. After breakfast next morning I left 
Mrs. Other Day at the hotel and saying good- 
bye, I mounted the coach for St. Peter and 
Mankato. The Indians were reported as being 



— 55 — 

near town and murdering the whites. All was 
terror. The stage agent told the driver he need 
not go unless he chose. Rumors of danger were 
afloat but the driver of the stage, Chris, deci- 
ded to go on his way and "make the trip." 
The country along the way was deserted. 
When we arrived within half a mile of Man- 
kato we found sentinels on guard and when we 
arrived at the postoffice hundreds had gathered 
to hear the news from below. I spoke to my 
old friends; they hardly recognized me, sup- 
posing I had been murdered. And then, such 
rejoicing as there was at my coming home. I 
met my father on the street, and he said: 
"You showed me the place where you would 
hide, should there be danger." You told me 
of this place; (when I was at the agency,) u l 
told mother I did not believe you were killed." 



Captivity Of JVTtfs. Wakefield. 

On the morning of Aug. 16th at the Up- 
per Agency Dr. J. L. Wakefield felt very un- 
easy about his family, fearing the Sioux would 



— &6 — 



rise and put on their war paint as all indica* 
tions pointed that way. As George Gleason 
was going to St. Paul, Dr. Wakefield advised 
his wife to go with him and from there, go 
East, on a visit. After some hesitation she 
consented and packed her trunk with a few 
necessities. The writer (?) hitched up the 
team and all got in. On the back seat was 
Mrs. Wakefield carrying her babe in her arms 
and with her little boy beside her while Miv 
Gleason occupied the front seat. All being 
ready, with a pitiful goodbye, they took their 
departure. Mrs. Wakefield told the writer 
she had a presentment of danger after they 
started. Taking the Lower Agency road they 
had gone bat a short distance when they met 
an Indian, who, as they passed him, told them 
to go back. Mrs. Wakefield to Mr. Gleason, 
4 'what does that mean." His reply was 4 'oh 
pshaw! that is nothing. He only wants to say 
something," as they drove on leisurely. Mrs. 
Wakefield often implore Mr. Gleason to turn 
back but he would laugh and assure her there 
was no danger. When they arrived opposite 



— hi — 

Joe Brown's place, she said, "come Mr. 
Gleason, we Lad better go over the river to 
Mr. Brown's;" but he only smiled and put her 
i>ff once more. Thus they travelled on till 
within two miles of the Agency when Mrs. 
Wakefield discovered smoke as though the 
whole country was afire. Shortly afterward 
they saw two Sioux a short distance ahead 
coming towards them. These Indians passed 
them but as soon as they were by turned 
and fired, the bullet passing over the boy's 
liead and striking Mi. Gleason. He fell out of 
the wagon and the horses started to run, but 
one of the Indians caught them. Mr. Gleason 
lay where he fell, mortally wounded. His 
last words to Mrs. Wakefield were: "Why 
did I not hear to you." Then the Indians 
shot him again killing him instantly. One of 
the Indians was going to kill Mrs. Wakefield, 
but protested, saying, "she is the doctor's 
wife and he has befriended us." "No the 
other said she is the agent's wife." The first 
Indian was convinced and her life and that 
of her boy was spared. One of the Indians 



— 58 — 

jumped into the wagon and drove to camp. 
During their drive thither Mrs. Wakefield 
threw out wraps and other things so that the 
whites might follow and know where she was* 
At the camp she found other white captives, 
Soon a squaw came around with a dress for her* 
to put on in place of the one she wore. She 
immediately recognized this dress as one she 
had helped a friend make a few week's previ- 
ous. She saw one of the squaws wearing one 
of her best black silk dresses as she did the 
cooking, the skirt dragging through the ashes 
as she walked back and forth. The Indian 
children had gold watches and other valuable 
jewelry to play with and the Indians were 
wearing the wheels out of gold watches in 
their ears. Among the captives was a German 
woman who was continually lamenting the loss 
of her house and stock, though she seemed to 
show no anxiety about the rest of her family, 
nor did Ler present situation seem to worry 
her in the least. Mrs. Wakefield did not see 
her little boy for two days and of course wa& 
greatly worried about hirn« A Miss lirown, 



— 59 — 

one of the captives, told her he was at another 
camp near by and that she would bring him to 
her; she did so, but he ljesitated to come as he 
was having a good time riding the ponies and 
shooting with bow and arrows and when he ar- 
rived he was togged out in Indian costume and 
paint so that his mother hardly knew him. 
Mrs. Wakefield and children were released in 
the fall of 1862. 



fln Insult. 

The writer's brother was at the Upper 
Agency, Yellow Medicine, a week before the 
Indian massacre* He was warned to leave 
that country by a friend as the Indians were 
becoming unmanageable, manifesting distur* 
bance in several ways. He provided himself 
with food and hastened across the river to the 
main road intending to go to New Ulm and 
thence to Mankato* Arriving at the top of the 
bluff he met two Indians who hailed him with 
How-How, and dismounted their ponies, 
Siezing him, they took the food and what little 
change he had; then spit tobacco juice in his 



— 60 — 

face which was not very pleasant but neverthe- 
less he had to take it. They then told him to 
go without a second warning, thinking he 
could endure such torments as that if he could 
get out of the country safely. His friend was 
right for he left the next day. That friend 
was my father. He also arrived at Mankato 
without any interruption, There was great 
anxiety in his mind as he had two more sons in 
the Indian country; one in Renville Rangers 
and the other perhaps in his hiding place — 
River Bottom, which he had picked out weeks 
before. 



The '^an Who-Closed-The-Gate" 

The Thrilling Story of the Brave and 
Fearless Defenders of Fort Ridgely, 
During Little Crow's Revolt. 
And Massacre of 1862. 
For thirty six years in all the tribes of 
the Sioux, " Man-Wbo-Closed-the-Gate " 
hag *been a name to conjure with. Capt. 
Timothy J. Sheehan is the name he bears 



— 61 — 



among the pale-faces; and bis home is in St* 
Paul. In his old age he is serving in the 
United States as a deputy marshal. The gate 
he closed was the entrance to the lower Min- 
nesota valley; it was Fort Ridgely. Five days 
he and his little command held that frontier 
post while the hosts of painted warriors surged 
over the surrounded prairies and dashed 
against its defenses in vain. They were five 
precious days. — They gave time for the eastern 
part of the valley to arm and take the offensive. 
Repelled at New Ulm, and hurled back at 
Ridgely, Little Crow saw the beginning of the 
end before Sibley appeared on the upper wa- 
ters of the Minnesota and administered the de 
Teat of Wood Lake. 

At the breaking out of the war of the res 
bellion Capt. Sheehan enlisted as lieutenant 
in Company C, Fifth Minnesota. At first 
they were stationed at Fort Ripley, where 
Capt. Francis Hall was commandant. On 
June 19th, 1861, pursuant to orders, Lieut. 
Sheehan with fifty men marched to Fort 
Ridgely, a distance of 200 miles and arrived 



— 62 — 

there on the the 28th. Two days after arriv- 
ing at the fort the command was ordered to re- 
port to Maj. Thomas Galbraith at the Sioux 
agency on Yellow Medicine river. "With a 12 
lb. howitzer, Sheehan arrived with Lieut. Gere 
at Upper Sioux Agency July 2d. The Indians 
were anxiously awaiting the distribution of 
supplies and annuities and were very restive. 
They addressed the lieutenants thus <4 We are 
braves. We have sold our lands to the great fa- 
ther. The traders are allowed to sit at the pay 
table and take all our money. We wish you to 
keep the traders away from the pay table, and 
we desire you to make us a present of a beef." 
A conciliatory but not satisfactory reply was 
made to this request. The Indians were hun- 
gry. Dances and other demonstrations became 
quite common. The number of the savages 
continued to increase, and dissatisfaction was 
felt and increased because of the non-arrival of 
the annuites. On July 18th the Indians de- 
clared they were starving. To placate the In- 
dians, Maj. Galbraith assured them he would 
soon count them, issue provisions and send them 




CflPT. TimOTHY J. sheehaN, 

The intrepid commander of the defense of Fort Ridgely. 



_ 64 — 

to their homes to await the arrival of the <$@* 
laved animites. The counting was accon^ 
plished without trouble but on Aug. 4th mat- 
ters had now changed and the Indians were 
hungry and restless. Lieut. Sheehan returned 
to Yellow Medicine after an unsuccessful hunt 
for Inkpaduta and his band of horse thieves* 
The Indians sent word that they desired to make 
a peaceful demonstration. No remonstrance 
was offered, and the little detachment was soon 
surrounded by 800 Indians some mounted and 
some on foot. They circled round and round 
the troops, firing their guns in the air shouting, 
dancing and contortioning. Suddenly the lead- 
er of the party struck his hatchet into the door" 
of the government warehouse. The situation 
now became serious. The Indians began to 
cock and prime their guns standing not over a 
hundred feet from the troops. Had there been 
one hothead in the command, had a single*! 
man discharged his rifle, every one of them; 
would have been murdered on the spot. The; 
Indians were ripe for the deeds of deviltry! 
they performed two weeks later. They want" 1 



— 65 — 

ed supplies and proposed to take them by force 
while intimidating the troops. Bloodshed was 
not the primary object. They had already be- 
gun to carry flour out of the warehouse. Lieut. 
•Gere acted promptly. The single mountain 
howitzer he had, was trained on the warehouse 
door. Instantly the red warriors fell back 
from line of aim, leaving a lane, through which 
Lieut. Sheehan, Sergeant Trescott and sixteen 
men marched straight to the government build- 
ing, never trembling or swerving an inch. 
Sergeant Trescott drove the Indians out of the 
warehouse while Lieut. Sheehan conferred with 
Major Galbraith. A number of councils and 
conferences resulted in an amicable settlement 
of the trouble, and all danger of an outbreak 
seemed to have been averted. Lieut. Sheehan 
and his men returned to Fort Ridgely, and on 
August 11 ih set out on the return march to Ft. 
Ripley. On the evening of the 18th his com- 
mand was encamped at a point between New 
Auburn and Glencoe, forty- two miles from the 
fort. Suddenly, into the camp rode Corporal 
McLean straight from the fort with orders 



— 66 — 

from Ca.pt. Marsh to return at once. When 
that order was received, poor Marsh and most 
of his reconnoisance company and the whites 
at the upper and lower agencies Lad been mur- 
dered. Lieut. Sheehan lost no time; that 
night his soldiers marched 42 miles in nine 
hours and fifty minutes, such a march as was 
never equalled by infantry. 

At 9 o'clock a. m., they reached'the fort to 
whicu refugees from all the country around 
were flockiug. 

That same morning the Indians held a 
great council on the prairie about two miles 
from the fort and were addressed by Little 
Crow himself. It had been his plan to attack 
Fort Ridgley at once, but the council deter- 
mined to attack New Ulm first. The Indians 
were then observed to pass to the southward 
on the west side of the river* The next morn- 
ing the little garrison of the fort was further 
strengthened by the arrival of a company of 
fifty recruits under Lieut, Gorman the company 
having been hastily organized at St. Peter, and 
courageously marched all night with but three 



rounds of ammunition for their antiquated 
muskets. On the 18th Clerk Wyckoff had ar- 
rived with $70,000 in gold for annuities. The 
total fighting strength of the force, including 




Iiittle Ci<ota. 

The old leader of the Sioux forces at Ft: Ridgely 
and throughout the massacre Shot by J, E. 
Lampson near Hutchinson, 



— 68 — 

armed civilians, was now augmented to 180 
resolute men while the non-combatant men, 
women and children in the fort, numbered 300, 
Lieut. Sheehan, by virtue of seniority of 
rank, took command of the fort immediately 
upon his arrival, and forthwith set about active 
preparations for the battle which was sure to 
come. The men of Company B of the Fifth 
regiment being expert in the use of artillery, 
were assigned to the management of that in the 
fort of which three pieces were put in service 
at once. Ordinance- Sergeant Jones was put in 
charge of a six-pounder field-piece, and Ser- 
geant James G, McGrew and James C. Whip- 
ple, an experienced artillerist, were each as- 
signed command of a twelye-pouuder mountain 
howitzer. 

The fort itself, was a fort only in name. 
Like all of our forts on the frontier it was de- 
signed more as a military cantonment than as a 
place where defense could be made. It has not 
been the policy of our troops in the Indian wars 
to await attack. The fort consisted of a group 
of buildings surrounding an open square ninety 



yards across. It stood on a spur of high 
prairie land about a half mile northwest from 
the river. Along the north and east side of 
the spur on which the fort stood, a deep ravine 
extended southeasterly into the valley. The 
edge of the bluffs of the river valley lay about 
300 yards from the south side of the fort, while 
from a point nearly opposite the southwest 
angle of the fort another lateral ravine pene- 
trated the spur to within 300 feet of the cor- 
ner. All of the buildings were of frame or log 
construction excepting the two-story stone bar- 
racks buildings on the north end of the quad- 
rangle. 

Repulsed at New Ulm, Little Crow turned 
back up the valley and made his dispositions 
for the siege of the fort. At one o'clock in the 
afternoon of August 20th, Little Crow himself 
appeared on horseback just outside of range of 
the pickets, and seemed to desire a conference* 
But the pickets on the the northeast side of 
fort at that moment discovered the advance of 
the Indians coming up the ravine. 

They poured in a heavy fire as soon as 



— 70 — 

they reached the level ground and gained pos- 
sesion of some outbuildings. 

Lieutenant Sheehan immediately ordered 
Lieut Gere with a detachment to hasten 
to the point of attack. Whipple brought his 
howitzer into position between the two build- 
ings. A detachment from Co. C. headed by Shee- 
han moved on the run around the north en i of 
the barracks and tookup their position in a row of 
log buildings in the rear At the same time Mc 
Grew put his howitzer into position at the north- 
west corner. The howitzers and the musketry li»-e 
did the work effectively and the Indians socn 
abandoned the buildings they had sL-zed.and fell 
back to the shelter of the ravine. The attempt 
to take the fort at the first rush had been frus- 
trated. While the attack on the east was going on 
Little Crow with the rest of his warriors at- 
tacked on the West and the south where Ser- 
geant Jones with his trusty six pounder was 
ready to give them a warm welcome. The bat- 
tle now became general. For five hours, the 
firing was inces^a t but at nightfall the Indians 
withdrew to the Lower Agency. They had all 



— 71 — 



the battle they wanted in one clay. It was 
enough to last them the next day, too. It was 




Wa^an^ZhannZhan. 

(Medicine Bottle) 

One of the besiegers of Fort Ridgley, subse- 
quently executed, 
mot until Friday that Little Crow could again in- 
duce his warriors to endeavor to take the fort. In- 



— 12 — 

the meantime a 12-pounder field piece not hitn* 
erto used, was manned and pat in position in 
reserve on the parade ground, under command 
of Sergeant Bishop. During the first day's 
battle the women and children were collected 
in tha stone barracks. The quarters were none 
too large and they were packed to the doors 
and windows with crying children and fright* 
ened women. During the firing on the first 
day, the panic in the barracks was indescribable 
When Little Crow and his yelling blank- 
eted warriors spread themselves over the 
prairie around the fort at noon on Friday 
its defenses had been strengthened greatly 
since the first attack. It was the cunning 
chief's plan to take the fort with a fierce on- 
slaught. He w r ell knew the character of his 
warriors. Under his orders they dismounted 
an J left their ponies on the prairie about a 
mile distant from the fort. Then, w r ith those 
blood-curdling yells, which are such a charac- 
teristic of Indian battles, they closed in on the 
the fort, delivering a rapid fire as they came. 
Confident in their numbers, the braves ex- 



— 73 — 

posed themselves, to the very effective fire 
from the fort and many a fierce warrior fell on 
the prairie sod and bit the grass in his last ag- 
onies. The open advance proving too danger- 
ous for the assailants. Little Crow fell back 
upon his second plan of firing the garrison by 
a prolonged and constant fire hoping in the end 
that another onslaught would be successful. 
The Indians sought the shelter of the ravines 
as much as possible, while those on the open 
prairies, covering their heads and bodies with 
tufts of prairie grass, wriggled towards the 
fort giving the prairie the appearance of being 
alive with unseen animals. Little Crow or- 
dered his brave followers to take possession of 
the stables and the sutler's building near the 
southwest corner of the fort. From this cover 
such a hot fire was poured in that the buildings 
in that corner were literally riddled with bul- 
let holes. The buildings were shelled to dis- 
lodge the Indians and were by the same means 
fired. While their flames were brightly as- 
cending and the black smoke was hanging over 
the prairie, already baked by the heat of an 



_ 74 — 

August day, the Indians began to shoot turn- 
ing arrows into the buildings of the fort- But 
the rain of the previous day had made the roofs* 
so wet that they would not take tire. The at* 
tack was now at its height and the scene wa» 
appalling beyond description. Flaming arrows 
w 7 hizzing through the sky, burning buildings, 
death and w T ounds, the reverberating artillery, 
and the demoniac yells of the Indians, min- 
gled with the frightened cries of children and 
the groans of the wounded, made it a moment 
never to be forgotten. 

Lieutenant Sheehan during the fight was- 
present at all points of the garrison cheering 
his men to victory and directing them to keep 
up a steady fire but not to waste their ammuni- 
tion. 

To divert attention from the southwest 
•where he proposed to make his final onslaught. 
Little Crow now directed an especially severe 
attack against the northeast corner. Whipple, 
with his gun supported by infantry, under 
Lieutenant Gere, swept the grass to the roots* 
along the crest of the ravine. The savages fell* 



back and sought the shelter of the earth, but 
Mere not given a respite, for the brave McGrew 
boldly pushed his howitzer out from the north- 
west corner, to the edge) of the ravine and eti- 
filladed its slopes with an effective fire which 
sent many a bloody handed warrior straight to 
the happy hunting grounds while the wounded 
groveled on the ground. Over the edge of the 
hill fell the shells from Whipple's gun while 
down the ravine hissed MoGrew's enfillading 
canister. 

The writer cannot commend Lieut. T\ P. 
Gere too highly commanding his company, and 
B. H. Randall commanding the citizens during 
the siege. 

Little Crow, excellent general that he was, 
saw that the critical moment had now arrived. 
By means of orders quickly carried by the 
chief's messengers, among whom was his little 
son, a general convergence of the Indian forces 
was made on the southwest. McGrew noticed 
the changing arrangement of the besiegers, and 
^communicated his knowledge to Sergeant Jones 
Who was acting as chief of artillery. The lat- 



— 76 — 

ter immediately directed him to put in action 
the 24-pcunder field-piece from which not a 
single shot had yet been fired, and fire on the 
west line of the fort at the south end of the 
commissary buildings. 

Realizing that the cannons were their 
worst foes, the Indian sharp-shooters had ex- 
erted themselves to get Sergeant Jones. 
Every lineal foot of timber along the line of 
the barricade which protected his gun was 
splintered by a close and accurate fire. But 
still the gun was worked and the shells con- 
tinued to fall among the warriors at the short- 
est possible range. 

McGrew dropped the first shell from the 
big gun in dangerous proximity to the party 
that was swinging around from the northeast. 
Training his gun to the west, he dropped the 
second shell exactly at the point where this 
party had joined a group of squaws, ponies 
and dogs, west of the main body. Yelping 
dogs, shrieking squaws, wailing children and 
frightened bucks ran. in all directions and 
sought shelter behind every inequality of the 



— 11 — 



ground. M.cGrew then directed his fire be 
tween this force and the main body and suc- 
ceeded in preventing a consolidation. The re- 




Sha-Kpe (Little Six.) 
He was at the siege of Fort Riddel y and boasted 
of having- killed thirteen women and children. Was 
subsequently executed. 



ports of the big gun were as demoralizing to 
the Indians as its frightful execution. 



In the meantime in front of Jones' posi- 
tion there was a lull in the fire, and across the 
space separating the combatants, the whites 
could hear Little Crow exhorting his warriors 
to take courage for the last fierce rush. With 
all the art of a Webster or a Calhoun, the 
chief implored, commanded and urged his war- 
riors to take the fort or die in the attempt. 
While the general of the Indian forces tried the 
effect of oratory, Jones arranged a very effect- 
ive counter argument, by double shotting his 
piece with canister. Spurred on by the inspir- 
ing words of the chief, a band of desperate 
warriors rushed straight towards Jones' barri- 
cade. The Indian doesn't always fight behind 
trees; sometimes he delivers an assault in the 
open as bravely as white troops. Witness the 
charge of Roman Nose and his warriors, in the 
bloody fight with Forsyth, On came the 
painted, yelling warriors, brandishing their 
weapons and leaping madly in their rage and 
hatred. A cloud of smoke belched from the 
black muzzle of the gun, a band of flame shot 
forward, and eighteen warriors fell to the 



— 79 — 



ground in the agonies of death or gaping 
wounds. This terrible blow completely un- 
manned the savages. They fell back in disor- 
der pursued by shrieking shells thrown through 
the flame and smoke of the burning buildings. 
The fight was over. Little Crow hastily col- 
lected the wounded and the dead; as far ai 
possible, broke up the camp in the valley and 
be'gan his retreat. In the silence that followed 
the dirges chanted for the dead by the weeping 
Indian women came up from the valley and 
mingled with the cries of the hysterical women 
and children in the stone buildings. The mo- 
ment was too awful even, for shouts of triumph, 
from the begrimed but the successful defenders 
of the fort. 

Suddenly a strange and weird spectacle 
caught Lieut. Sheehan's eyes as he glanced up 
at the smoky clouds. There, in the clouds, 
occurred a phenomenon that in a more credu- 
lous age would have been taken as a sigu of 
grace direct from God himself, On the screen 
of the clouds, as though thrown by some great 
/steieopticon, a mirage repeated and revealed 



— 80 — 

the whole battle scene. The outline of the fort 
and the disposition of its defenders was clearly 
shown with all at their placed and the guns still 
throwing shells into the valley, where the re- 
treating Indians as shown by the images in the? 
clouds, were in the deepest confusion. Teepees 
were being torn down, goods were being packed 
on ponies, papooses were strapped to backs, 
and hurried retreat begun, while the sullen 
warriors held back to guard the rear. In their 
turn the Indians could see reflected the confi- 
dent aspect of all within the fort. It caunot be 
doubted that to their superstitious minds it was 
an unmistakable sign of the wrath of the Great- 
Spirit, They redoubled the speed of their 
flight and westward moving dust clouds an- 
nounced that the Indian insurrection had 
passed its zenith. The gate had been tried 
and had held. 

During the sis hours in which the Indians 
raged around like so many furies freed from 
hell, all the well women in the fort showed the 
greatest composure. The supply of ammunition 
for the small arms having been exhausted. 



" 81 — 

Lieut. Shechan set them to opening spherical 
case shot to get the powder with wliicti they 
made cartridges. The missies for these car- 
tridges were supplied by pieces of rod cut up 
by men especially detailed for the work. It is 
said that the dismal whistling of these pieces 
of nails propelled through the air unseen filled 
the Indians with a great superstitious fear. 

During the siege of the fort nine babies were 
born in the barricade, but only two of them 
lived. The little garrison, in all ' the hot 
fighting lost but five men killed and eighteen 
wounded. The Indian loss was never known, 
but from the numbers that were seen to fall, 
their loss must have been at least 100. Their 
total number engaged varied from 500 on the 
day of the first attack to 1500 on the last day. 

Five days longer the garrison remained 
under arms, expecting a renewal of the fight, 
but on August 2 7th 175 horsemen under com- 
mand of Capt. Anson Northrup from Minneap- 
olis reached the fort and all the danger was 
over. Henceforth the Indians were on the de- 
fensive. Well aware of the fate into which 



— g2 — 

their thirst for blood had led them, they scat- 
tered over the prairies or surrendered after two 
or more battles. The stubborn defense of Fort 
Ridgley turned the tide. Had it not been for 
the 1 'holding of the gate" as the Indians figura- 
tively put it, the savage war might have been 
carried to the eastern borders of the state. The 
honors of this great defense belong to all those 
who participated in it, but the young Irish 
lieutenant who marched his company 42 miles 
in one night took command of the fort and di* 
rected its defense with consummate skill, de- 
serves to go down to history along with those 
of the most honored commanders in all the 
years of border warfare, His name should be 
written side by side with that of Forsyth, 
Crooks, Custer. Wayne and Jackson. Well 
does he deserve the bronze medal which adorns 
his breast. 

The facts for this review of the heroic de- 
fense of Fort Ridgley have been taken from 
the narrative of the Fifth regiment compiled 
by Gen. Lucius F. Hubbard and from state-* 
ments made to the writer, by Capt, Sheehan. 



The account of the siege of Fort Ripley in Gen* 
Hubbard's narrative, was prepared by Lieut. 
T. P k Gere, second lieutenant in Company B» 

The state of Minnesota has erected on 
the Fort Ridgley battle ground a beautiful 
monument in honor of Sheehan and the gallant 
defenders of the fort which speaks to the world 
with its tongue of bronze, in memory of the 
fallen, in recognition of the living and for the 
emulation of future generations. 

Erected A. D,, 1896, by the state of Min- 
nesota, to preserve the site of Fort Ridgley, a 
United States military post established in 1853 
and especially to perpetuate the names and 
commemorate the heroism of the soldiers and 
citizens of the state, who successfully defended 
the fort during nine days of siege and invest- 
ment, August 18th to 27th, 1862, and who gal- 
lantly resisted two formidable and protracted 
assaults upon it made August 20th and 22nd, 
1862, by a vastly superior force of Sioux In- 
dians, under command of Little Crow and other 
noted Indian leaders and warriors, 

August 18th, 1862, the Sioux Indians of 



— 84 — 

the Upper Minnesota river, in violation of 
their treaties, broke into open rebellion, and 
within a few clays thereafter, massacred about 
one thousand citizens in the southwestern part 
of the state, and destroyed property of the 
value of millions of dollars. Many, men, 
women and children fled to fort Ridgley and 
were under its protection during the siege. 
The successful defense of the fort by its garri- 
son, consisting of parts of companies B and C 
Fifth regiment of Minnesota Volunteer Infant 
try, the 4 'Renville Rangers'' and citizens and 
refugees, was very largely instrumental in 
saving other portions of Minnesota from ravage 
and devastation, and greatly contributed to the 
ultimate defeat of the Indians and their expul- 
sion from the state. 

During tho entire siege of Fort Ridgley 
the garrison was skillfully commanded by 
Lieut . Timothy J. Sheehan, of Company C. 
Fifth regiment of Minnesota Infantry. lie was 
ably assisted by Lieut. Norman K. Culver, Co. 
B of the same regiment. Acting Post Quar- 
termaster and Commissary in charge of cle- 



taehments; Lieut. Thomas P. Gore Co. B Fifth 
Minnesota Infantry, in command of the portion 
of hie company, present (Capt. John F. March 
and twenty- three men of that company, and 
Peter Quinn United States interpreter having 
been killed by the Indians at Redwood Ferry 
Aug. 18th, 18 62); Lieut 6 James Gorman in 
command of the Renville Rangers; Hon. Bon* 
jarain H. Randall, in charge of armed citizens; 
Ordinance Sergeant John Jones, of the regular 
'army, in general charge of the artillery, with 
Sergeant James G. McGrew, Co. B. 5th Minne- 
sota Infantry, and Mr. John C. Whipple, each 
in charge of a gun, Dr- Alfred Muller, Fost 
Surgeon. The names of the other defenders 
jippear on this monument. 

Captain Shechaii and Lieutenant Gere com- 
manding companies "B" and "C" of the Fifth 
Minnesota Infantry after the Minnesota Massa* 
ere were ordered south and joined their regi- 
ment near Oxford, Miss, on the 12th day of 
December, 1SG2 and served w T ith the regiment 
to the end ol the war. 



— 86 — 



Incidents. 

Fool ? crazy or brave? Which? 

In the year 1868 the Bloods were very 
troublesome. They would pick off men on the 
Fort Benton & Helena Road and often attack 
little outfiis. While we were in camp on Sun 
river we had a little tussel with them. They 
c ime within twenty rods of us and commenced 
to drive off our horses. A few shots were ex- 
changed and one of our boys received a slight 
wound on the muscle of his arm. None were 
killed. The enemy captured our horses. One 
Frank Murphy purchased a fine mare in Helena 
which he prized so highly he talked of nothing 
else; the boys teased him, remarking 4 'she is 
no good." The Indians took his mare with 
the rest. The poor fellow was nearly crazy. 
Had his mother been taken he could have ex- 
pressed no deeper sorrow. The boys told him 




— si — 

to "strike out and recover her," They talked 
to him till he said he thought he could. In 
the night he disappeared no one knew 
where. Had the imbecile gone to try to find 
their camp, and get his horse back? We re- 
mained in camp about four days; on the third 
day he made his appearance. He was a terri- 
ble sight to behold. He said "I took a little 
food for lunch and after you retired for the 
night I started north for the British lines; I 
travelled ail night, struck a trail followed it up 
and a camp was in sight. This was, I judge, 
about 9 o'clock A. M. About half a mile 
from camp I saw a number of ponies. Went 
up among them and saw two Indian boys dri- 
ving some towards the camp. I saw mine in 
the herd; it had no picket line on so I could 
not catch it easily. I had a halter along, but 
could do nothing as I had no horse to put it on. 
Soon out rushed a hundred bucks and sur- 
rounded me. They took me to camp. I told 
them I wanted my horse; they laughed, talked 
and looked at me. They kept me outside a 
short time and then they all dispersed. The 



— 88 — 

chief took me into a teepee (tent) gave me some 
pemican, (dried meat) and tallow mixed, I ate 
some, and when they found 1 had enough, they 
stripped me of my clo hing and sent an escort 
with me about five miles away and made signs 
for me to go, which I did. I struck out in a 
southwesterly direction arrived at the Sun river 
and followed it down. He arrived back after 
a three days' absence. The Indians thought 
him crazy perhaps, or a fool. They will never 
take the life of such. 




Hntelope Sills pifst Buffalo 
Hunt. 

The reader may wish to know how the au- 
thor came by such a strange wild name'as Ante* 
lope Bill. For convenience the name Bill wa& 
given by the two Boston tourists, on the occa- 
sion of the hunt hereafter described and the 
prefix Antelope, was given by the Indian Ren- 



— 89 — 

ville. Whether I liked the name or not. I was 
obliged to accept it, and here I make use of it. 

Id the month of June or July two tourists 
called at the Sioux agency. They wore good 
clothing and were well supplied with < 'funds." 
They may have been horsethieves, blacklegs, 
or something worse for aught we knew. They 
brought no letters of introduction. They evi- 
dently had seen little of frontier life. One 
evening the clerk at the government agency 
built a fire or smudge to keep off the mosqui- 
toes. Along the streams in the west they are 
sometimes abundant. We were getting the 
benefit of the smoke w Ik n one of the tourists 
stepped to the fire and putting up his hands 
said: ' 'It is quite chilly, is it notr" "Yes," 
said the clerk "it is quite so." These men 
were keeping out of the smoke as much as poss- 
ible. "How thick the mosquitoes are" said one, 
* 'Yes, said the other, how is it they don't trou- 
ble you fellows over there?" 

* 'Because we keep out of the smoke as 
much as possible" said the clerk. They saw 
the intended sarcasm and went into the smoke, 



— m — 

but it proved to much for them; they thought 
the smoke quite as unendurable as the mosqui- 
toes. They remained a few days, taking in the 
sights. One day an Indian brought in a little 
Buffalo meat; they got the interpreter to ask 
where they found buffalo, and were told it w&s 
about twenty miles away; they asked many 
questions, such as thesa: 4 'How do you kill 
them? can they run fast? would' they hook? 
how large are they? can you kill them without 
creeping on them?" 1 understood the inter- 
preter. He told them they were as tame as 
sheep. You could knock them down with an 
axe; they are harmless and can only walk. The 
tourists apparently gave credence to all that 
was told them. I knew better for I had seen 
the Indians in pursuit of two before this, at a 
short distance from Redwood Falls. They 
thought it would be fine sport to hunt and kill 
them; they were told plenty of antelope could 
be found near by. Many more questions wei'e 
asked and they expressed a wish, to go out and 
try their luck. The interpreter said Renville 
would go with them; he could bo trusted — he 



was a Sioux! One of the counties of Minnesota 
Was afterwards named for liim. The gents 
asked as many questions about Renville as 
about the game, and decided to go on a hunting 
expedition provided Renville, others and my- 
self would go and insure safety. I was noth- 
ing but a beardless boy, but securing the 
agent's consent I accompanied the party. 
Little Rock, a Frenchman, who understood 
Sioux, went with us. Guns Were borrowed 
from the agency. The following morning 
Renville came around with his two ponies and 
light wagon. Our luncheon consisted of some 
flour and salt with some coffee. We started in 
a northwestern direction and at about eleven, 
o'clock Renville sighted a jack-rabbit; at the 
Same time the tourists saw it and became near- 
ly frantic. I wished to capture the first game. 
Renville and Rock remained behind while the 
others of the party started on the chase. We 
raised two more rabbits w 7 hich gave one for each 
in pursuit. These would encourage us to follow 
along; they would rest until we were within 
fehooting distance, then off they would go. At 



— 92 — 

length I became discouraged; not so the others, 
they kept on an hour longer, then condemned 
the guns and not the rabbits. We all got into 
the wagon and started. We soon saw another 
before us but the gents and myself were not so 
eager now for success and we told Renville to 
try his luck. He got out and went a short dis- 
tance over a "sag." Soon we heard the report 
of bis gun. Then Renville made his appear- 
ance with his rabbit; he said we would have to 
go about two miles before we could come to 
water to cook our rabbit. Dinner being over, 
we started once more. Renville said we would 
gee buffalo before night. We travelled about 
five miles and sighted antelope at a distance. 
The gentlemen were now more on the alert than 
ever, We drove till within eighty rods of 
them and then halted. The gentry could 
hardly get from the wagon quick enough; I 
thought I would not be in very great haste this 
time. They followed them as they did the 
rabbits; they circled back towards the wagon. 
Little Rock and Renville crept down the ra- 
vine. Soon they made their appearance on a 



— 93 — . 

knoll and takir.g a red pocket-handkerchief 
from the pocket and waving it, the antelope 
began circling around them; each moment as 
they moved, the circle grew less in circumfer- 
ence. When near enough, Renville fired, and 
was successful bringing down his game. He 
motioned to me to drive over, which I did. We 
loaded the game into the wagon; the secret of 
of the handkerchief they promised not to reveal 
till after I succeeded in bringing down game 
-—till I had killed an antelope. Wearied out, 
the party came up; they had fired a dozen shots 
and still condemned their guns. All aboard 
once more. After going about two miles fur- 
ther on, we saw more game. I exchanged guns 
with Rock, requested the party to remain be- 
hind ancl let me try my luck, They consented, 
Here the ground was very level: I went about 
twenty rods and pulLd out my handkerchief. 
It was not red; I went back to the wagon and 
got Rock's. The men were surprised. The 
secret was out; the game in sight saw my red 
signal and commenced to move in a circle about 
me. They came so near I could have hit them 



— 94 — 

with a stone. Now is my time. Bang! They 
all ran. Soon one dropped. Now I sprang 
forward to my game. The gentlemen were 
quite crestfallen because the beardless boy 
was second best on the trip so far. Said they, 
addressing me, 6 6 Antelope, you are not going 
to get the next." Rock says, 1 'Bill, if you 
can only get a buffalo!" About sundown we 
came to timber near a lake having been moving 
for about an hour when we discovered a herd 
of buffalo. Renville explained that some In- 
dians were after them; they kept coming near- 
er and nearer toward us. We could see the 
smoke of guns, though not hearing a report. 
We could also see them dropping one by one. 
Renville thought he would drive over to where 
they were. By the time we got to them the 
last one had been brought down. There were 
three Indians and they had killed twelve buffa- 
lo. Soon other Indians came for the meat, and 
camping near them enjoyed a square meal (as 
they were camped near the lake ) So also did 
we. In the Indian camp the women were cut- 
ting the meat into strips to dry, hanging it on 



— 95 — 

slicks. There were about twenty clogs around 
camp. The women were washing roots and 
putting away for the winter- This expedition 
was like a new revelation to th^. tourists and 
myself. We all retired early to rest first cov- 
ering with a light blanket, but the wolves and 
other wild animals kept up such a howling and 
the dogs in camp such a barking, that none 
could rest and we were up in the morning as 




eoon as the mud hens hi the lake. I remained 
with the gentlemen in camp, while Rock and 
Renville mounted ponies to go a distance away 
and see if there were signs of buffalo. Soon 



— 96 

they were over the hills and out of sight, We 
did not enjoy the thought of being so near 
neighbors. Soon we had a few callers from 
the other camp; they wanted flour. The gents 
gave them what there was in the sack. Soon 
Rock made his appearance, -his pony coming 
on a full jump. The tourists' countenance 
changed color quickly. Said Rock: "Boys, 
there are a 100 buffalo over the hill; Renville is 
guarding or herding them." (You can drive 
buffalo, if you do not first frighten them)* 
"bring your guns and follow me. 7 ' 
Travelling two miles we came to a level plain, 
and saw what appeared like a herd of cattle* 
Our tourists were in haste. Rock cautioned 
them to keep on the windward side as much as 
possible. One paid no attention to this, but 
went on pell-mell, Renville was all the time 
driving them towards us, and got them within 
80 rods of us, when the gents commenced to 
lire and away they went, Renville began 
shooting, killing three and then came back to- 
wards us. I was sitting over on a little rise of 



— 97 — 

ground hoping they would turn and come ray 
way. ISTo. Looking north towards the tourists 
there were about twenty-five of the herd coming 
towards them, which, they seeing, • 'squatted" 
down, took aim, and bang! bang! their guns 
went. The herd wheeled and went the other 
way. Soon a stray bull came along. One of 
the gents raised his gun and fired; the bull went 
a few reds and stopped; the gents went toward 
him and fired, the bull standing still. Renville 
came along watching the movements of both. 
Ail at once the bull rushed forward catching 
one of th j men on his horns holding him slight- 
ly; one shot from the gun of Renville hit the 
animal behind the shoulders and brought him 
down. These tourists had seen enough and 
wanted to go back to Boston as soon as possi- 
ble. We went to camp, hitched to wagon, 
loaded some meat and drove homeward fast as 
we could. These tourists were not looking for 
rabbit or antelope. But oh, the vermin. One 
of these men was called Buffalo Bill, but he 
did not fancy the name any more than I that of 
Antelope Bill. After this they stopped but a 



— 98 — 



short time at the agency and returned to Bos- 
ton. Poor Rock is now in his grave; he has 
been through many a hard battle. He served 
in the First Minnesota Rangers, was a scout, and 
had many a skirmish with the enemy. He lost 
his life by marrying a Sioux maiden. An In- 5 
dian murdered him. 



A Visit to liittle Gpoxju's Hom0* 

A few weeks after my escape from the 
Indians I went on business to Camp Release, 
above the Yellow Medicine River. This was 
the place where the Indians surrendered to 
Gan. Sibley. I was accompanied by two others* 
When near Little Crow's village we thought 
we would go over to his house which was still 
standing. To our surprise, there lay two Sioux 
Bucks in their war paint apparently dead. 
They may be only sleeping. There being 
many tall weeds about the dooryard they were 
nearly hidden from sight. My thoughts were ? 
they may be drunk. I dismounted and mad© 




— 9D — 

S'.Je they would never awaken* I mounted and 
overtook my companions. I did not dare fire 
a gun for fear the report would arouse others. 
A broken rail was my weapon of defense. 
Their bodies were found and it was said they 
Lad been killed by someone. 




R Siek jWan. 



Capt. Kimball accompanied us to Ft. Bern 
ton. He was an old river captain on the Mis- 
sissippi and the Missouri rivers. Leaving his 
boat in care of the mate near Cow Island Mon- 
tana. The water in the river was very low. 
Capt. Kimball, Frank Adams and myself took 
a stroll trying to get an elk as they were plen* 
ty on the bottom lands 0 We spied a herd and 
surrounded them, Elk will huddle together 
when parties approach them from opposite cli* 
l-ections. Three Indians have been known to 
kill twenty from one herd thus huddled to- 
gether. We needed a little meat and only 
wished to kill one, I think we killed one 

Ltffe 



— 100 — 

apiece. Capt, Kimball not b3ing an expert 
with a rifle, he over shot and struck a little 
calf, cutting the skin on its head, making a 
small ridge and knocking him down. The cap- 
tain was slew in getting up to him. To secure 
this game the calf's throat should have been 
cut; but no, the captain seeing him trying to 
regain his feet raised him by the neck (the calf 
crying like a child). His courage failed him; 
and he would not let it be hurt. It was given 
its freedom and scampered away to find its 
mother. We took what meat we wished for 
and started for camp. We had gone out from 
the bottom upon the open prairie when to our 
surprise we were overtaken by a dozen Crow 
Indians. They came up saying "how how?)" 
(How are you :) We knew we had passed the 
Sioux country. We knew these Indians were 
friendly but would steal; would take from us 
all they could. Knowing they were Crows, 
I placed too much confidence in them. Kone 
of us could speak their language. By signs 
they invited us to sit down and smoke the pipe 
of peace with them which we did. When 



— 101 — 



Capt, Kimball's turn came to take the pipe he 
refused, saying it would make him sick. Being 
over persuaded, he complied and soon he was 
''outside" and his breakfast was cast up. The 
Indians gobbled up our firearms, made us take 
off our clothing, and taking everything from 
us told us to get* The captain felt more like 
staying; we were left without a rag. We all 
managed to get in sometime in the night. 



A refugee from Leavenworth had gone as 
far as he could. He called at a house; it was 
deserted. From appearances the occupants had 
just taken a meal. Nothing showed distur- 
bance. Fowls were about the* door, and the 
cattle on the farm. He had the potatoes on 
cooking when the door opened and an Indian 
came marching in saying "how how?" The 
refugee recognized him as a Wiuneb -.go. The 
Indian said "me hungry," giving the svhite 
man his gun telling h:m "me good Indian; me 




— 102 — 



Winnebago, me going to Sioux." Tbey took 
supper together. Come to find out this Indian 
knew nothing of the massacre. He came from 
the Winnebago agency on the old Indian trail. 
He wished to stay all night. He was put into 
a bed and it was but a short time before he was 
snoring and the refugee was on his way to New 
Ulm. The Indian was left minus his gun. The 
refugee found New Ulm surrounded with Indi- 
ans so he turned about and made for Mankato 
where in due time he arrived safely. 



The Qvouan Family 

Consisting of father and mother, old peo- 
ple of 70 years, a niece, and a son of about 
thirty years were living on the Cottonwood 
river. Some one coming up to the door ad- 
vised them to flee as the Indians were killing 
the whites. Regarding this as a false alarm, 
they gave no heed till a second messenger bore 
the same story. Hastily the young man put 
the oxen to the wagon. Putting in a feather 




bed and household conveniences, they started. 
They had gone only half a mile when they met 
Indians. The young woman drove the team 
while father and son took to the side of the 
wagon determined to sell life as dearly as possi- 
ble. The father and son were shot down while 
the poor women were left to their fate. In 
about two weeks the bodies of these four peo- 
ple were found horribly mutilated within a few 
rods of each other. The feathers and goods 
were scattered about. 



Sometings Go Buzz-Buzz. 

We left Fort Benton with fifteen teams and 
eighteen men including the wagon boss and his 
assistant for Cow Island in the Missouri river. 
We went for freight. The river was low and 
the boats could go no further up. The distance 
to be gone over was about one hundred and sev- 
enty-eight miles and directly through the Sioux 
the Crow and the 4 'blood country," Iudiansall 
the way. I hired out as night herder, ridiug 




in the day time and herding the cattle at night. 
I had a pony, rifle, and two revolvers. For 
about a hundred miles the country is rather 
mountainous, and the balance is somewhat roll 
ing. Very little timber is found on the 
streams. We carried sufficient fuel for cook- 
ing purposes for three days near the vicinity of 
Milk river. We came upon some Crow Indi- 
ans, who were friendly; they always wero to 
the whites, only they are such inveterate 
thieves. We passed near their cam y and 
stopped for diuner; they came to us and such a 
sight as they presented. On closer observa- 
tion we were convinced they had small-pox. 
We had visited their camp; that was enough. 
In their teepees were old and young lying in a 
helpless condition. Many of the men had left 
women and chillren; had deserted. We left 
hastily but were told no white man w T ould take 
the disease from an Indian. It proved true in 
our case. These Indians caught the disease 
from a blanket they had stolen from a boat go- 
ing up the Missouri riv jr. We arrived at Cow 
Island having no more trouble with Indians, 



— 105 — 

We found the boat well loaded and a few pas- 
sengers for the mountains. After three days 
we started back well loaded*; we took three men 
with us leaving the rest for other work. An- 
other man was put with me to herd, also a 
German who could speak little English, to 
watch at night. The teamsters slept within 
the end sure as the Indians might attack us. 
About the fifth day out I was sitting in front of 
the wagons watching the antdope. At a eiis- 
ta: ce I saw an object and called the teamster's 
attention to it. He said he thought it was elk. 
I said it was an. Indian and he would make his 
appeal ance again at night. I suggested to the 
boss wagoner that a guard should be placed 
on duty at night. The horses and cattle 

were brought closer together that they 
might not be stolen. The boys sat up late by 
a little fire telling stories until about 11 o'clock 
and at twelve, I went* to the enclosure to get a 
lunch. The German was at the gape bending 
dose over the fire to get the benefit of the few 
€i»als that remained. I cautioned him telling 
Li in there were Indians about. I pointed to a 



— ioe — 

sag and told him the Indians would eorae— not 
walking, but crawling. I inquired of him if he 
understood. He said 4 'yaw, yaw." I ate my 
lunch, sharing it with Jim Cook. We laid on 
the ground talking; in a little while our cattle 
started off and we drote them in again. We 
laid down again. Soon we heard our German 
yell ''Inches! Inches!" We rushed to him. 
The teamsters started up, but nothing was to 
be seen only our German, and the blood running 
down his face. We gathered around him and 
he said "somedings come buzz, buzz" pointing 
to his forehead, at the same explaining to me 
that he sat in the enclosure near the coals with 
his face toward the ravine. His face was pale 
and he looked scared. We knew something 
w r as wrong. Search was made and within ten 
feet of T\here he was sitting an arrow ^vas 
found sticking in the ground, .about four inches 
having been left above. The Indians had 
crept up the ravine to a wagon and standing up 
had fired hoping to kill, by fixing the arrow in 
his temple and then to get the horses that were 
inside. The German afterwards refused to 
stand guard. 



— lot — 
JVIinus One Eat*. 

The diamond train was known in the early 
days in Montana with its trail of three wagons 
drawn by six yoke of oxen. The drivers whips 
would pop and sound like a discharge of guns 
in those deep canons. The teamsters that 
accompanied this trip to Cow Island on the Mis- 
souri river, were a jolly set. The writer relates 
a few instances that happened on the last trip 
for that season of 1869. Nothing of import- 
ance happened on their way down, the boys sim- 
ply becoming noisy at intervals on account of a 
little too much tangle foot. The boys being 
well supplied, we waited on the island for a few 
days letting the teams rest in the meantime and 
to load the wagons. When loaded and rested 
we returned home with less whiskey and in its 
place an abundance of meat consisting of buffalo 
elk, and antelope-. Why should we not be a 
jolly set of ox punchers of the Northwest? In 
a few days the scales turned, the wagon boss a 
little fatigued by being in the saddle so much, 
often exchanged with the boys; this is the case 



— 108 — 

I am about to relate: John Anson mounted his 
horse taking his Springfield musket, and strap- 
ping his large Colt's revolver to his waist, took 
his departure in advance and over the rolling 
prairie thinking he might add one more ante- 
lope to swell the meat supply. Putting the 
spurs to the broncho he was soon out of sight 
over the small hills and ravines. Going about 
one mile he saw two leisurely feeding. John 
stopped his horse, and e\ing them considered 
the best way to sneak on them: While doing 
so, his horse turned his head around to the 
south Jolm looking the same way. Sure 
enough; there were two Indians riding towards 
him. Seemingly they had come out of the 
ground not forty rods away. Coming directly 
towards him they halted, at the same time 
beckoning John to come where they were. Tie 
did so without a second thought. They salu- 
ted with the friendly how-how, one extending 
his left hand to John, he extending his right, 
giving the Indian a good shake. Same time 
Mr. (lo) pulled his revolver with his right and 
taking aim fired. John fell from his horse the 



— 109 — 

Indians catching it, leading it off not car* 
ing to molest the dead man or his firearms, 
they had gone only a few rods when John 
raised up and fired. One dropped from his 
horse; he fired again. Mr. (lo) firing about the 
same time and taking his quick departure was 
out of sight. 

John caught the extra pony and robbed the 
corpse of his scalp, knife and firearms, coming 
to us minus one ear, one side of his face black 
with burnt powder, and loft side covered with 
blood. On investigation the Indian supposed 
he had shot him through the head which was 
their intention, they being in a hurry for fear 
the rest of the boys were coming towards them. 

This little excitemmt soon blew over; no- 
thing more occurring until we came t) the Sun 
River. Here we camped for a couple of days 
on account of the teams straying off, which 
took a number of the boys from camp and oth- 
ers werj out sporting, as ducks and grouse were 
plenty. 

Being out of the Sioux country, the boys 
could roam where thiy chose to, as these In- 



— 110 — 

dians were Black Foots and Bloods; not bad 
and bloodthirsty. Sometimes if they saw a 
man out by himself they would kill him; oft- 
times they were impudent, especially in large 
numbers, an instance of which I will mention. 
Three of our boys were in camp, the cook pre- 
paring the dinner, when up rode a \^ ar party 
and dismounted, stating they were going down 
to the Sio.ix country after scalps as they were 
enemies to the Sioux. Soon they made their 
wants known by telling us they wanted some- 
thing to eat. Their wish was granted by giving 
them a little flour, bacon and sugar also coffee. 
They were not satisfied with that but wanted 
it cooked; this we refused to do for so large a 
crowd. They instantly became angry and it 
appeared as though there would be trouble. 
During these few moments of controversy two 
of the boys managed to get hold of their mus- 
kets; the cook kept at his cooking as though 
nothing had or would happen, but his good dis- 
position was riled by a saintly red stepping up 
and spitting a chew of tobbacco in the frying- 
pan of meat About the same time Mr. Buck 



— Ill — 

was biting dust between the wagon wheel, the 
two other boys had their two Indians covered 
with their muskets, telling them to 4 'get" as 
luck was with us. Some of the other boys 
showed up at a short distance and away they 
went as fast as their ponies could carry them. 
The cook has scolded himself mad matiy a time, 
because he did not serve him in the face as he 
did in the frying-pan. 




Horses Tails ffLade Use of many 
Uiays. 

How two or three Indians will travel a 
great distance in one day is thus illustrated: 
The writer has known them to travel over 75 
miles a day; it is done in this way. When two 
or three are making a journey, and they lire 
poor, having only one pony, one will catch 
hold of his tail while the others ride astride on 
the animal's back; when he becomes somewhat 
fatigued it is reversed by ctinnging around. 
The pony is picketed out anil let rest about 
every ten miles for about half &n h hour, the j 



112. — 

they continue their journey. They neVef ap- 
proach a horse when they want tu catch him 
but catch him by the tail; then In will stand 
perfectly still. Sometimes he may whirl 
around and then give up; he will never kick* 
The writer, recollects when travelling wiih 
some Red river half-breeds, they had their carts 
and came to a ravine which was very steep; the 
ponies tried very hard to pull the load up, but 
soon became discouraged. One of the men dis* 
mounted, tied a knot in the horse's tail and put 
him ahead of thj cart using rawhide as rope was 
not to be had, winding and tying it to the knot 
then back to the thill; the whip and word was 
given, and up the hill they went; they claim a 
horse will pull more by the tail than by the 
shoulders. 

The writer ha -3 seen them in battle, when 
one was wounded, being shot from his horse, 
manage to get hold of the pony's tail and be 
dragged off the battle ground. Sometimes a 
warrior will ride up to a wounded man, catch 
tho horse's tail, and is dragged off, saving hi» 
life and scalp. 



— 113 — 



The Killing of the Je-juett Family 
fle&tr JVIankato. 

In trie month of August, 1865, a few miles 
out from Mankato there resided a family by 
the name of Jewett consisting of Mr. Jewett 
and wife and young babe; their aged father 
and mother, and the hired man. Mr. Jewett 
was a well-to-do farmer. He had just returned 
from the army bringing with him the amount 
of money saved — about three hundred dollars. 
In the same company there was a half breed by 
the na : e of Campbell. He had always been 
friendly to Mr. Jewett After being discharged 
they separated, Mr. Jewett coming to his fami- 
ily and farm at Mankato and Campbell to his 
brothers at Le Sueur or near there. There had 
been considerable exjitem^nt about Mankato as 
Ind ans had been seen. A boy and soldier had 
been killed and people were on the lookout — 
were apprehensive of mischief. A Mr. Stevens 
was taking a walk up the Blue Earth river. 
Walking leisurely along he met a suspicious 
looking fellow. He arrested him and took him 



— 114 — 

to Mankato. When he arrived at the town, 
the news of the murder of the Jewett family 
had just reached th^re. The prisoner was 
placed in close confinement until the matter 
was examined. Parties went from Mankato to, 
the, place where the tr aged y h ad been committed ' 
Tiiey | oand^blood stained walls and floors; the 
old gentleman was just alive. The young babe 
by its mother was somewhat hurt but recovered. 
The old gentleman was able to tell the story. 
It appears. that Campbell and five Indians visit- 
ed the. place, Campbell cam 3 for the mouey, 
and the Indians for blood, Campbell was vis- : 
ited in jail by a priest : and other parties and 
alter a time, made a confession. He acknowl- 
edged having on Mr. Jewett' s pants and stock- 
ings. , lie told where the money was secreted. 
His :i life ended by being suspended from a tree 
growing near where the Stale Normal school 
building now stands r The Indians were pur- 
sued west and overtaken near what is now Ly* , 
on County \ four were shot and the bones of the , 
other, were found afterwards near by. 




Thfe Capture by the Sioux in 62' 
of John SehuPeh aliad of 15. 

< The author met him at his home in Min* 
neapolis and talked over our boyhood days in 
territorial times at Mankato,Minn. We served 
in the same regiment, have met each other 
often and not knowing this was the nervy John 
who is ; now' a resident and business man of 
Minneapolis. 

With the gradual disappearance of the In- 
dian tribes which, but a short time ago roamed 
at will in the virgin wilderness, since reclaimed 
and devoted to the. uses of civilization, interest 
in their doings is swallowed up and overshad- 
owed by the interests and pursuits of the pres- 
ent day. It is difficult, indeed, for one to im- 
agine, especially one not to the manner born, 
that it is now ouly a few years since the Sioux 
and Chippswas disputed for the supremacy 
within a few miles of Minneapolis. But such 
is the fact. And while the Sioux are consid- 
ered the. most warlike of the Northern tribes, 
they usually came off second best in their ; f re- 



— 116 — 

quent fights with the Chippewas. The Sioux 1 
have, nevertheless, impressed themselves and 
their history indelibly forever by the massacre 
of 1802, that great tragedy which shook the 
whole nation to its profoundest depths, even 
though an unparalleled civil war was raging in 
another part of the country. The principal 
features of that sanguinary time are still re- 
membered by Minnesotians of middle age, but 
there are many details that have never been re- 
lated; among them, and probably the most 
interesting of all being the capture of 
then a boy of fifteen, now a man of fifty 
engaged in business in Minneapolis, and very 
well known to thousands of people in both 
Minneapolis and St. Paul. Yet few would 
imagine that this modest man had passed 
through a more terrific experience for about 
eleven months than the majority of men pa-s 
through in a lifetime. But such is the case 
however, and Johnny Schurch still lives a vou- 
cher for the truth of the narrative. 

John Schurch came to Minnesota from 
Europe in July, 1857. His father had died, 



11? — 

and his mother had remarried. The family 
first settled in Mankato where they stayed two 




years. They went thence to New XJim where 
they remained until 1860> when John's father 



— 118 — 

took up a homestead in Beaver Falls, Renville 
county, and here the family settled clown with 
the intention of remaining. Early in 1862 the 
hero of this narrative secured employment as a 
cook for a gang of six men, who were getting 
out lumber at Big Stone Lake. Everything 
ran along smooth here until August 23d, when 
there appeared in the camp before daylight, an 
Indian doctor, who warned the crew that the 
Indians had risen in the lower country; massa- 
cred, all the whites, and would be at the camp 
in a few hours. The men scouted the idea,and 
young Schurch proceeded with preparations for 
breakfast. Thinking it possible there might 
be some truth in the medicine man's intelligence 
all the rifles were examined, and the men jo- 
kingly alluded to their desire for a brush with 
the "reds." They were not kept long waiting. 
Schurch had proceeded down to the lake to get 
a pail of water, when a light rain began. He 
looked up toward the bluff just above the camp 
and saw about seventy-five mounted Indians 
coming over at the same time unrolling their 
blankets from their guns ^having had thern 



rolled in the blankets to keep them dry). 
Quicker almost than thought there were several 
sharp reports and five of the six men in camp 
were writhing in their death agony. To scalp 
them was only the work of a minute or two, 
and then began the work of destruction. There 
were four steers in the camp; two of these were 
easily captured by th j Indians, the others were 
so wild they had to be shot. Wagons, tents 
and shanties were burned, and then a search 
was begun for young Schurch and Anthony 
Manderfield, both of whom were known by the 
Indians to be at the camp; but Mandertield had 
got clean away, and as it subsequently trans- 
pired was eleven days going to New TJlm, 
where he found only the ruins of his former 
home. As for Schurch, he lay low on the 
bank of the lake for two hours, seeing all that 
was going on in the camp seeing his late com- 
rades scalped and their bodies mutilated, listen- 
ing to the talk of the -Indians, but himself un- 
seen. At the end of two hours having comple- 
ted the work of destruction and feasted to their 
heart's content, they finally gathered up their 



— 120 — 

traps and departed. It was then only that the 
now thoroughly frightened lad ventured from 
his hiding place and penetrated into the deep 
woods. He came to a group of wild plum 
trees, thickly covered with grape vines. Here 
he lay down to evolve a plan of action. He 
was one hundred and lift y miles from home, 
alone, surrounded by a tribe of hostile savages, 
thirsting for his blood. Twice they passed his 
hiding place within a dozen feet of him and, 
said he, relating his experience to tbe writer, 
6, my heart beat so hard it almost made a hole 
in the ground under me." About noon, as 
near as he could judge, everything being quiet, 
he concluded t^ reconnoitre. He remembered 
that up at Louis Robert's trading store a short 
distance away, was a Sioux half-breed clerk, 
named Baptiste LeClaire. This breed had al- 
ways been friendly with young Schurch, and 
he thought if he could communicate with him 
he wouid be safe. He approached the 'log 
shanty in which Robert's stock was kept and 
just as he got to the door, Standing Buffalo 
(Tatonka Naji) chief of the Sisseton Siou£, 



— 121 — 

emerged. Fortunately young Schurch and his 
family had frequently fed Standing Buffalo and 
his family, and the chief, without a word, 
stooped and picked up the lad, wrapped his 
blanket around him, and held him to his breast. 
A young Buck in the store who had seen the 
operation, raised his rifle to fire, when Standing 
Buffalo commanded him to stop. Just then 
three* Bucks came from behind the building, and 
werv alio about to fire on the lad; but the chief 
still stood li is friend, and so, temporarily saved 
his life. The band rifled the store of such 
goods as they wanted, and burned the rest, then 
returned to camp, where the bodies of the five 
woodsmen still lay exposed in the bush. Here 
they lay for three days, when the odor became 
t«>o offensive for the sensitive nostnls of the 
asthetic Bucks, and the bodies were thrown or 
a pile of brush and burned. Young Schurch, 
though kindly treated by Standing Buffalo, 
was in constant danger from the young men of 
the tribe, who were one and all very much in- 
terested in seeing his scalp dangle from their 
belt. One day the lad ventured with some 



— 122 — 

Indian children across the creek in search of 
grapes, and was returning when a yrung Sisse- 
ton Sioux, armed with a long old-fashioned 
horse-pist 1, drew a bead on him and pulled the 
trigger. The pistol did not gooff. The Buck 
deliberately put more powder on the flint and 
the little urchin sank in the gra s put his 
hands over his eyes so as not to see 
the flash, and awaited Lis death. The In- 
dian tired, the ball entering Johnny's abdo- 
men, which passed through and nearly came 
out at the back. The medicine man of the 
tribe examined him, felt the bullet just beneath 
the skin, took an old razor which he had looted 
somewhere, and cut into the lad's bajk and 
pried out the bullet with a stick! How this 
poor lad suffered for the next few weeks, how 
it was necessary to constantly watch him to 
save him from the knives or bullets of the 
Bucks who were constantly trying to dispatch 
him even while he was lying helpless in the 
teepee, no words can express. He was in 
hourly danger of assassination and he knew it. 
He was alive,yet momentarily expecting death. 



Who can paint the horror of his situation? Is 
the cunning of the novelist, the imagination of 
the most skilled writer equal to the task? Let 
either essay it, and then retire discomfited. 
Even imagination has a limit, beyond which 
practical experience not infrequently advances. 
The tribe which was being almost daily aug- 
mented in numbers, until about a thousand 
Indians had centered at the spot, remained 
till late in October. They spent their time in 
war dances, and in bewailing the fate of the 
braves who perished from time to time. Young 
Schurch knew 7 from the black looks fixed upon 
him from time to time that his life was not 
w T orth a moment's purchase if thy chief should 
withdraw his protection. As it was, he was 
fired at not less than a dozen times between Au- 
gust and October, and says it was nothing less 
than a miracle his life was spared. Standing 
Buffalo desired to adopt him into the tribe; by 
his orders Johnny's face was painted in differ- 
ent colors, his hair was allowed to grow, and 
the Indian girls braided it and graced the 
braids with otter tails. He was made herder 



— 124 — 

of the chief's ponies, and received some dis- 
tinctive marks of Standing Buffalo's favor. 
But the Bucks jealously watched the opportu- 
nity to wipe him out. Once his hat was 
knocked off his head by a bullet; then his ear 
was clipped by another: thus it went from day 
to day, the poor child being kept continually in 
a state of most dreadful suspense. He did not 
care for death, he said, but to have it constant- 
ly looking for a chance to "jump" him through 
the agency of a treacherous Sioux was a hell 
on earth. Finally the tribe concluded to go 
into winter quarters, and late in October start- 
ed for the Missouri. They arrived at the site 
now occupied by Bismarck after a three week's 
march subsisting along the route on geese, 
ducks, wild turnips, etc. The tribe was joined 
at Apple Creek, (Bismarck) by Little Crow's 
tribe of 500, and two little white boys, prison- 
ers, and the Yanktons, ?,000, making a total of 
3,500, all of whom went into camp for the win- 
ter. The Indians occupied their time hunting 
buffalo and deer; the squaws did all the work. 
Young S^hurch was allowed to mingle with 



the other little fellows whose parents had been 
killed, and he was comparatively safe as loi g 
as he remained in sight of Standing Buffalo. 
But just as soon as he ventured among Little 
Crows band, or the Yanktons, just so sure was 
he to experience the hum of a bullet, or be 
given an opportunity to dodge a whizzing tom- 
ahawk* Once hit it would have been %< ali day" 
with him, for a score of scalping knives would 
have Hashed in the twilight and a score of 
braves would have jumped for his scalp. The 
luck, providence or whatever it was, that pre- 
served him thus far; still continued to preserve 
him, and he escaped* During the winter, about 
180 Bucks were selected from the three tribes, 
and placed under command of Little Crow, who 
started for Manitoba to effect a coalition with 
the Crees and other Canadian Northwest tribes, 
for the purpose of organizing a grand raid in 
the spring of ? G3 which had for its object the 
recapture from the whites of all the land be- 
tween the Missouri river and St. Paul, a prom- 
inent feature of which was to be a grand massa- 
cre and plunder. The scheme was a grand one 



— 126 — 

and well calculated to appeal to all the instincts 
of the Canadian Indians. Young: Schurch was 
taken with these envoys extraordinary. After 
travelling several days the band came in sight 
of the teepees of the Crees. Ten Sionx scouts 
were sent ahead to reconnoitre, arid little John- 
nie was sent with them. A couple of Crees 
mounted, came out and shook hands with the 
Sioux, Then four more followed and went 
through the same operation. Half a dozen Crees 
then darted out of their camp, circled around 
the Sioux, gradually contracting the distance, 
and, when within a hundred yards opened fire 
on them. This caused a stampede. The Sioux 
saw the Crees intended to kill them if possible, 
and they broke forcover, Standing Buffalo was 
shot in the arm, and the hero of this story re- 
ceived a bullet in the left leg. This en- 
ded the 4 'treaty" and the 180 Sioux re- 
turned to the Missouri river where 
they reported the result of their mission. The 
next day the three branches of the Sioux sepa- 
rated, the Sissetons going to Devil's Lake, and 
Little Crow's band and the Yankton's proceed- 
ing down the river. 



— 127 — 

"Of course you had a romance?" the wri- 
ter suggested. "Romance!" Mr. Schurch re- 
plied: "I wasn't feeling very romantic just 
then; I was as thin as a rail, almost constantly 
suffering from wounds; I was in hourly danger 
of assassination and never had enough to eat. 
I know these dime novel heroes usually marry 
an Indian princess, but they don't do it in real 
life. I may say, however, that I slept between 
two squaws all winter to keep from freezing to 
death. In the morning my hair would be fro- 
zen to the side of the teepee, and I had to 
loosen it the best way I could." 

The tribe remained at Devil's Lake from 
April 1863, to June of the same year, when a 
Catholic priest from the Canadian side, Father 
Andrew, .appeared in the camp and effected 
the release of young Schurch and the other lads 
for a pony each. The United States govern- 
ment had offered four hundred dollars each to 
any one who would effect the release of any 
white captive held by the Sioux. This sum 
was subsequently paid to Father Andrew. 

When young Schurch was released and de- 



— 128 — 

livered to two halfbreeds to convey to St. Jo* 
seph near Pembina, all the Incl ans gathered in 
a circle to shake hands with him. When he 
came to the Buck who had shot him through 
the bowels, he refused to shake hands with 
him, and in a short time the three lads started 
with the two halfbreeds for Sc. Joseph. They 
had not proceeded far when one of the breeds 
looking over his shoulder discerned a cloud of 
dust. Fearing some treachery, aud having 
noticed young Schurch's refusal to shake hands 
with one of the Sioux Bucks, they hid the lad 
in a swamp. Presently about two dozen In- 
dians overhauled the wagon and asked for little 
Schurch. The breeds told them he had gone 
on ahead hunting. They lingered however for 
an hour, and finally begging some tobacco, rode 
back to their camp. Young Schurch and the 
party arrived at St. Joseph safely. Father 
Andrew had the halfbreeds take him to the 
bank of the Mouse river and give him a thor- 
ough scrubbing. Then his hair which came to 
his shoulders was cut off, and he was dressed 
in a corduroy suit, As soon as a halfbreed ex- 



— 129 — 

pedition was ready to start for St. Cloud he 
was sent with them where he embarked on one 
of Burbank's stages, and reached St. Paul, only 
to find that part of his family had been massa- 
cred at New Ulm; his mother who was blind, 
had died of grief; his eldest sister had been 
butchered by the Indians, and another remained 
in captivity; she was however released in due 
time, and now resides in South Minneapolis 
and carries to this day the mark of the toma- 
hawk on her back showing where the Indians 
had maltreated her. She frequently saw two 
Indians take a babe, and each taking a leg pull 
it apart and then dash its brains out against a 
tree. Sue saw women have their clothing torn 
from them, and saw them dreadfully mutilated 
hacked with tomahawks and scalped; and a 
thousand other things she saw, too dreadful for 
repetition, but the slightest of tbem cause one 
to have some of the realizing sense, of the 
blessings of the present, secure as we are in 
the possession of a lasting piece — knowing as 
we do, that the war-whoop of the Sioux will be 
heard no more forever, on the beautiful, plains 



— 130 — 

of Minnesota, and that the husbandman may 
pursue his avocations in peace, and the mother 
need fear no more that the crowing of her baby 
boy will be followed by the dreadful yell of the 
savage come to destroy in an hour tha fruit of 
years of labor and the lives which are to her 
more precious than the breath that sustains her. 

Looking at the hero of this narative, now 
a prosperous Minneapolis business man, the 
father of a worthy family, the possessor of 
most rugged health, and owning a charming 
home around which all the domestic affections 
center, it is difficult to believe that this man, 
now in the very prime and pride of life has 
passed through such a trying ordeal. But such 
are the facts. The man is here in person as a 
living evidence. And we may imagine there 
are times when evening shadows fall, that he 
calls up the ghosts of these dead and buried 
times and looks back upon them with a sort of 
tender melancholy, because, despite his dangers 
he passed safely through. Many of the braves 
who took part in his capture, and others of the 
opposing tribes who tried in vain so many 



— 131 — 



times to wear his scalp at their belts, have 
passed to the happy hunting grounds. But few, 
alas ! of all ihr. whites who were among the ac- 
tive spirits of those brave old days remain up- 
on the stage of action. Yet among them all, 
there is no more cheery, gallant and generous 
son of Minnesota than little Johnny Schurch, 
the last survivor of the Sioux captives of 1862. 



^ema^ks Concerning the Sava- 
ges of the Ko^thouest. 

A few exceptions will be made in the re- 
marks by the writer. He admits they are pos- 
sessed of some good traits as well as bad ones. 
Savages, we call tbem, because their manners 
and customs differ from ours, which we be- 
lieve to be perfection. Of civility, they think 
the same of theirs, perhaps if we could examine 
the manners and customs of different nations 
with impartiality, we would find no people so 
rude as to be without any rules cf politeness, 
nor any so polite as not to have some remains 




— 132 — 

of rudeness. The Indian men when young are 
hunters and warriors, and when old are counci- 
lors. All their government is the ruling or 
advice of sages. No force is used by officers to 
compel obedience or inllict punishment; and no 
]3risons. They study oratory, and the best 
speakers take the lead. The Indian women 
till the ground, dress the food, nurse and 
bring up the children and preserve and hand 
down to posterity the memory of public trans- 
actions. These employments of the men and 
women are considered natural and honorable, 
They have but few artificial wants and thus 
have abundance of leisure for improvement in 
conversation. Our laborious manner of life as 
compared with theirs is esteemed slavish and 
and base and the education with which we val- 
ue ourselves, they regard as frivolous and use- 
less. An instance of this occurred at a treaty 
in the west a number of year, ago between the 
Gov't, and the Sioux. After the principal busi- 
ness was settled the commissioners acquainted 
the Indians in a speech "that there were col- 
leges in the East where their children could 



— - 133 — 

"be educated free of charge to them, and that 
if the chiefs of the Sioux would sjikI half a 
dozen of their sons to these colleges, they 
would be educated, the government taking care 
that they would be well provided for and be 
instructed in ail the educational branches of 
white people. 

It is one of the Indian rules of politeness 
not to answer a public proposition the same day 
it is made. They regard it as treating the 
matter lightly; they show respect by taking 
time to consider it. They defer their answer 
till the day following. 

The speaker began by expressing his deep 
sense of kindness of our government in making 
that offer. "We know, that you esteem the 
kind of learning taught in your colleges, but 
while caring for our children would be very ex- 
pensive to you. We are convinced that you 
mean to do us good ^ by your proposal, and 
thank you heartily. But you who are so wise, 
must know that different nations have differ- 
ent conceptions of things, and you will there- 
"fore not take it amiss if our ideas of this kind 



— 134 — 

of education happen not to be the same with 
yours. We have some experience of it. Sev- 
eral of our young men were formerly educated 
at your colleges; instructed in all of your books 
and when they came back to us they were bad, 
ignorant of living on our j)rairies, could not 
stand the cold or hunger; complained of our 
food, would quarrel with the other young men, 
would lie, could not build a teepee, and could 
not kill a deer or an enemy. Spoke our lan- 
guage imperfectly. Were therefore neither fit 
for hunters, lawyers or counsellors. Were to- 
tally good for nothing. If you will send a doz- 
en of your sons we will take care of their edu- 
cation, instruct them in all we know and make 
men of them. See. our men look healthy — they 
can eat; look at our woman, they can work. 
Send them all up here and we will educate 
them. Having frequent occasion to visit their 
open councils with 'the whites they have ac- 
quired great order and decency in conducting 
them. The old men sit in a circle the women 
and children on the outside. The business of 
the women is to take exact notice of what is 



— 135 — 

ynd pass imprint of it on their memories 
They have no writing as we have; they can 
communicate it to their children — the records, 
the council, and they preserve traditions of 
what happened years and years ago. He who 
speaks, rises. The rest observe a profound si- 
lence. When he has finished and sits down, 
y leave him five or ten minutes to recollect 
ff he has ommitted anything he intended to say 
or if he has anything to add, he may rise again 
and deliver it. To interrupt another, even in 
common conversation is i\ corded indecent. 
How different it is from our Americans. The 
politeness of these savages is carried to excess; 
It does not permit them to contradict or deny 
the truth of what is asserted in their prseence. 
By this n eans they avoid disputes. But it 
becomes difficult for an} body to know their 
minds or what impression you make on them. 
The ssionaries who have attempted to con- 
vert them, all com lain of this as one cf the 
greatest difficulties of th j ir mission. The In- 
dians li3ar with patience the truths of the gos- 
( el ; ained to them, and give their usual to- 



— 136 — 

kens of assent and approbation. You would 
think they were convinced. A minister having 
assembled the chiefs, made a sermon to them 
acquainting them with the principal historical 
facts on which our religion is founded— such 
as the fall of our first parents by eating an ap- 
ple and the coming of Christ to repair the mis- 
chief; his miracles, etc. When he had finished 
an Indian orator stood up. <fc What you have 
told us is all very good; it is bad to eat apples; 
it is much better to make them into cider. We 
are very glad for you to come so far to 
tell us those things you have heard from your 
mothers. In return I will tell you of some 
things we have heard from ours. In the be- 
ginning our fathers had only the flesh of ani- 
mals to eat and if their hunting was unsuccess^ 
ful, they were starving. Two of our young 
men made a fire in the woods. They had kill- 
ed a deer and cut some off to roast and when 
they were about to satisfy their hunger they 
saw a beautiful young woman descend from the 
clouds, and saat herself on yonder hill which 
you see there. The young men said to each 



— 137 — 

other "It is a spirit that'perhaps has smelt our 
cooking deer and wishes to eat of it; let us 
offer some to her." They gave her the tongue 
and she was pleased with the taste of it, and 
said " your kindness shall be rewarded. Come 
to this place after thirteen moons and you will 
find something that will be a great benefit to 
you" They did so, and found plants they 
had never seen before. Where her right hand 
rested on the ground, there grew corn, and 
and where her left hand touched it there grew 
beans and where she sat there grew tobacco. 
The good missionary disgusted with this idle 
talk, said what I have told youaiv sacred 
truths; what you tell me are mere fables and 
lies." The Iudian replied: It seems your 
friends have not done you "justice in your edu- 
cation, they have not well instructed you in the 
rules. Why do you not believe all ( f our sto- 
ries ? When any of you come to our camps 
you are apt to crowd arosnd us and look at lis 
when we wish to bj private, T'his shows the 
want of instruction. The missionary gave it 
op as a bad job. An interpreter gave the wri- 



— -138 — 

ter the following: He Jiad been naturalized 
among the Sioux, and spoke well the Sioux^ 
language. In going through the Indian coun- 
try to; carry a message he called at a camp of 
Sioux to see an old acquaintance who embraced 
him, and laid furs for him to sit on, gave hira 
some bailed buffalo meat and broth; when he 
had eaten he lit his pipe, and the friend began 
to converse with him asking him how he had 
JPjirecJ f the many moons they had been separate !* 
What occasion jd his visit, etc. The interpre- 
ter answered all questions and when the dis- 
course began to flag, the Indian said "you have 
liye,cl long among white people, and know some 
of. their customs, I have been sometimes at 
St. Paul and observe that once in seven clays 
they close up the stores, and assemble in a 
great house; tell me what it is; what do they 
do there? They meet to hear and learn good 
things. I do not doubt, said the Indian that 
they tell you so; they tell me the same thing* 
I doubt the truth of what they say. I will tell 
you my reasons. I went lately to St. Paul to 
sell my skins and to buy blankets, knives and 

% 



— 139 — 

powder. You know I used to trade with Ro- 
berts but I was a little inclined this time to try 
some other trader. I called first upon Roberts 




A SOCIAL GREETING. 



and asked him how^ much he would give for 
beaver. He said he could not give more than 
50 cents a pound; "but says he I cannot talk 
on business now as it is Sunday when we meet 



— 140 — 

to learn about good things, and I am going to 
meeting." I thought as long as I could not do 
business I would go to meeting too and I went 
with him. There stood up a man in black and 
he began to talk to the people very angrily; I 
did not understand what he said but perceiving 
that he looked much at me and at Roberts, I 
thought he was mad at seeing me there so I 
went out, sat down near the house and lit my 
pipe, waiting until the meeting broke up. I 
thought too. that the man had told about the 
beaver; I suspected it might be the subject of 
their meeting; so when they came out I spoke 
to . Roberts. I hope you have concluded to 
give me more than 50 cents a pound. No, 
says he, I cannot afford to give more than 30. 
I then spoke to several other traders but they 
all sang the same song. This made my suspi- 
scions clear and right and whatever they pre- 
tended of meeting to learn good things tho 
purpose was to consult how to cheat the Indian 
in the price of beaver. Consider, but a little, 
friend, and you will be of my opinion. If 
they mejet so often to learn of good things, they 



— 141 — 



would have learned some before this time, but 
they are still ignorant. You know our prac- 
tice is, if a white man is travelling through our 
country, and enters one of our teepees, 
to treat him as I do you; we dry him 
if he is wet, warm him if he is cold, and give 
him meat if he is hungry and we spread soft 
furs for him to sleep on and we demand noth- 
ing in return. But if I go into a white man's 
house in St, Paul, and ask for something to 
eat or drink, they say "where is your money?'* 
and if I have none, they say "get out you In- 
dian dog," You see they have not learned 
those little good things that we need in meet- 
ings to be instructed because our mothers 
taught them to us when we were children, and 
therefore it is impossible their meetings should 
be as they say, for any such purpose, or have 
any such effect. They are only for the pur* 
pose of continuing to cheat the Indian in the 
price of beaver. 




— 142 — 



fiattles of Bh*eh Coolie and 
Wood Ltake — f^eminiseinees of 
the Indian LUai*. 

In June 1862, when '-Father Abraham" 
called for 300,000 more men,H. B. Wilson was 
professor of mathematics in Hamline Universi- 
ty, located at Red Wing, Minnesota. Being 
the only one of three brothers who was physi- 
cally fitted to endure the hardships of a soldier's 
life, he conscientious^ believed it to be his duty 
to offer his services to his country and to aid 
in subduing the rebellion against our govern- 
ment then raging in our southern states. Ac- 
cordingly at the close of a Friday afternoon's 
exercises, in the old chapel, to the students, he 
stated publicly to them what his convictions of 
duty were, and that he had determined to enlist 
as a private in a company then forming in the 
city for the Sixth regiment of Minnesota vol- 
unteer infantry. At the same time he invited 
any of the students present, who might feel so 
disposed, to enlist with him. Eighteen of tha 



— 143 — 



students promptly signified their willingness to 
join him. 




Captain H B. Wilson. 



The company was in due time tiled to the 
maximum of 104 men, and left R-.d Wing on 



_ 144 — 

Sunday afternoon August 17th, 1862, on the 
same boat with Capt. Williston's company, 
raised for the Seventh Minnesota regiment in 
the same town. The boat arrived at the 
mouth of the Minnesota river the next morning 
at sunrise and the two companies marched into 
Fort Snelling. We all expected that in a very 
few days we would take our departure for Vir- 
ginia to help swell the ranks of McClellan's 
army of the Potomac. All were animated 
with patriotism and felt their bosoms swell 
with an enthusiastic desire to be led at once 
against the foe. Monday was spent in being 
examined by the post surgeon to ascertain who 
of us were sound, and possessed of sufficient- 
muscle, and other requisite qualifications to fit 
us for soldiers. On Tuesday, the company 
elected its officers; no ballot was had, but 
the ceremony was performed by acclamation I 
and very soon gotten through with. On the 
evening of the same day, Aug. 19th, a messen- 
ger arrived, post-haste, from Fort Ridgley with 
the exciting news of the outbreak at the Red* 
wood agency, and the massacre of the whites at 



— 145 — 

that place. Our fond dreams of the sunny 
south and the army of old Virginia were soon 
dispelled. We were forthwith ordered to pre- 
pare ourselves, and be in readiness to start for 
the frontier by daylight of the next morning. 
The night preceding our depart cue was a sleep- 
less one to us all; and was spent in drawing 
clothing, four days' rations of raw pork and 
hard tack, and such scanty articles of cooking 
utensils as we were fortunate enough to find 
about the garrison. Before it was fairly light 
on the morning of the 20th, four companies of 
the Sixth regiment, viz: Co. A., Capt. Grant; 
Co. B Capt. Merriam; Co. C Capt. Bailey; Co. 
F Capt. Wilson, under command of Col. H. H. 
Sibley, embarked on a small steamer and at 
once started up the Minnesota river. At Shak- 
opee the boat was detained till the next day for 
the purpose of giving the rmu an opportunity 
for obtaining arms and ammunition. A worth- 
less lot of worn-out Belgian muskets were is 
sued to the mm, the calibre of which did not 
correspond in size with the cartridges we ob- 
tained. That night Co. F slept oh the stoue_ 



— 146 — 

paved levee at Sbakopee in a drenching rain- 
storm without tents, or any shelter, save the 
canopy of heaven. Many of the men who had 
so recently left the comforts of home life, and 
had never previously had any experience in 
roughing it, began to think that soldiering 
was not so funny a thing, aftev all. The 
next morning we re-embarked and proceeded 
on up the river. The whole country was in a 
state of the most intense excitement. All along 
the valley of the Minnesota we constantly met 
people from tho frontiers fleeing from their 
homes in terror from the savages, whom they 
imagined were pursuing them, and in their 
panic believed to be not far behind them. The 
evening we were at Shakopee some boys who 
had been out in the woods just back of town 
hunting cows came in, terror stricken, saying 
the woods were alive with Indians, that they 
had heard them halo. As the boat was slowly 
winding its way up the crooked river, it was 
frequently met by people descending in skiffs, 
and on rafts who had the most frightful tales* 
of 'murders, scalpings and burnings to relate. 



Just before arriving at Carver, we met two 
men in a canoe, who said, just as they left 
there, the mail carrier had just arrived from 
Glencoe, who brought the news, that the town 
was on fire, the people had all been either 
killed, or captured and carried away prisoners 
by the Indians. At Carver Co. A disembarked 
and was ordered to march to Gleiicoe. Capt, 
Grant, after proceeding to that place and ascer- 
taining that all was quiet, rejoined his com- 
mand a few days af terwards, at St. Peter. The 
other three companies left the boat at Belle 
Plain, and went into camp in the village. That 
was the first time we slept in tents. The next 
day, the 23d, we marched to St. Peter where 
we remained several days awaiting supplies, 
and reinforcements, While we were waiting 
for Col. Sibley's troops to get together. Let 
its take a hasty glance at the events that had 
transpired at Redwood, Fort Ridgley, New 
Ulm, and the surrounding section of country, 
It may be well, also to inquire for a mo- 
ment, into the causes that led the Indians to 
become , just at that time incensed against the 



— 148 — 

whites. In calling attention to these topics it 
must necessarily be done briefly. The subject 
is a large one and to treat it with anything like 
justice would require a volume instead of being 
confined to the conpass of a few pages. 

The principal grievances complained of by 
the Indians were as follows: First, the corrup- 
tions in the Indian department that had the 
management of the distribution of the govern- 
ment annuities. Second, the extortion of the 
traders. Third, the sufferings of the Indians. 
Fourth, the prohibition of our government of 
their sanguinary wars upon the Chippewas 
To them this appeared a tyranical act. The 
hostilities arising from these causes were but 
trivial in comparison with these which arose 
out of the sale of their lands and the treaties 
therewith connected. All who have read the 
account of the interview between Gov. Ramsey 
and the Indian Chief Red Iron at the 
council in 1852, will renumber how in- 
intensely the Indians were excited at a fraudu- 
lent treaty, as they claimed. Their sufferings 
from hunger were often severe especially dur- 



ingthe winter and spring previous to the mas- 
sacre. This was owing to the lightness of the 
crop for the cut worms destroyed all the corn 
of the Sissetons, and greatly injured that of 
the other tribes. Then the wild Iudians were 
Very much incensed at the abandonment by the 
farmer Indians of their ancient customs, their 
assumption of the white dress, and adhesion to 
the Christian religion. 

The dissatisfaction thus engendered w,as 
fearfully augmented by the failure of the gov- 
ernment to make the annual payment which 
had before taken place in June, and by the tra- 
ders refusing tbem credit at a time wheu they 
needed it, the most. They were informed by 
the traders as a reason of their not trusting 
them, that it was doubtful on account of the 
difficulties the government had to encounter, 
to sustain itself, whether they would receive 
more than half a payment during the year, and 
that payment would probably be the last. 

In June a number of chiefs and head men 
of the Sissetons and Wahpetons visited the 
Upper Agency, and inquired about the pay* 



— 150 — 

merit, whether they were going to get any mon- 
ey, sayiut: they had been told they would not. 
When the agent informed them that it would 
take place although he could not say when, or 
whether it would be a full payment, and he 
would send them word when the money ar- 
rived, they returned to their homes, but on the 
14th of July all came down again to the number 
of 5 000 and camped. They said they were 
afraid they would not get their money, and 
had been again told so by the w T hites. Here 
they remained for sometime, all pinched for 
food and several dying from starvation. They 
dug up roots to appease their hunger and when 
corn w T as turned out to them, like animals, they 
devoured it uncooked. 

Thus on the 17 tb day of August 1862, we 
find the instinctive hatred of this savage and 
ferocious people, who were able to bring into 
the field 1,300 well-armed warriors, the most 
expert and daring skirmishers in the world, 
fanned to a burning heat, by many years of ac- 
tual and fancied wrong, an 1 intensified by 
fears of hunger and cold. We find on the res- 



— 151 — 

ervation thj stores of the hated traders filled 
with goods which they have long sought to 
obtain and within easy access the unarmed peo- 
ple "pon whom rage and mania for the feather 
may wreak itself in slaughter. Gn the 10th of 
of August a party of twenty Indians from the 
Lower reservation went to the Big Woods 
near Forest City, to hunt deer. With the 
party was the chief, Makpeyahwetah . The 
hunt proving unsuccessful they separated, the 
chief and four others of the party going to a 
Mr. Whitcomb's. The other fifteen going to- 
ward the town of Acton. On Sunday the 17th 
of August, when within six miles of that place, 
they got into a quarrel among themselves as to 
which of the party was the bravest. The dis- 
pute became so violent that the epithets of 
coward and squaw were freely used. The dis- 
pute ^axed hotter and hotter as tbey proceeded 
on their way. The whole party became em- 
broiled in it. Four of these were Upper In- 
dians by birth, but had mtermarried with the 
M'dewakantons, and were living with Shako- 
jjee's band at the mouth of Rice Creek. This 



— 152 — 

band was the worst disposed on the reservation 
and most violent in its complaints against the? 
whites. The others resided around the Lower 
Agency. The quarrel above related culmina- 
ted in the murder of the Baker, Jones, and 
Webster families; and the shooting of Miss 
C^ara D. Wilson of Acton. Such was the be. 
ginning of the Indian massacre of 1862. When 
the murderers had arrived at the agency and 
told their relatives what they had done, they 
determined at once to commit the massacre, 
knowing that unless they did so, the guilty 
parties would be caught and delivered up to 
justice. Little Crow, the principle chief of 
the Lower Agency being consulted, at first op- 
posed the project of the young men and the 
more reckless of the secret Indian lodge, who 
favored the extermination of the whites; but at 
last he was farced to yield to the clamor of the 
majority. The ties and affinities of kindred, 
the mad excitement of the hour, decided him 
and he said: "Trouble with the whites must 
come sooner or later. It may as well take 
place now as at any other time. I am witb 



— 153 — 

you. Let us go to the agency and kill the 
traders and take their goods." Then they 
sent word by swift runners to the bands of the 
Wabasha, Waconta and Red Legs; the Indians 
hastened with Crow to the agency, breaking 
up as they entered the village, into small par- 
ties, and surrounding the different houses and 
stores. It was agreed that the attack upon the 
houses and stores should be simultaneous and 
upon discharge of the first gun the massacre 
should commence. The doom of the people 
was sealed; the s:*gnal gun sounded, and sud- 
denly as from the woods and the fields leaped 
upon them with the flashing of cataracts, death 
the crowned phantom, with all the equippage 
of his terrors and the tragic roar of his voice. 

The first shot was tired at Myrick's store 
iin the upper end of the town, between 6 and 7 
o'clock in the morning. James Lynde was the 
first victim; then young Myrick was killed. At 
Forbes' store they killed Joe Balland and An- 
toin Young. At Robert's store, Brusson; and 
La Batte's, Mr. La Batte and his clerk. The 
.•superintendent of the farms was sbot and the 



— 154 — 

workmen in the brickyard. Many others per- 
ished at the same time. At Foibe's store they 
wounded George Spencr in the arms and side 
but he was saved by an Indian friend and was 
kept concealed by him in the Indian camp for 
several weeks or until after SiLley r s command 
arrived at Camp Release. 

While the Indians were plundering the 
stores, some escaped. Among them the ReV. 
Mr. Hindman who wrote a thrilling account of 
the scenes during the massacre, 

Down the river* on each side below Fort 
Ridgley, and within six miles of New Ulm,. 
and up the river to Yellow Medicine, the mas- 
sacres that day extended. At Bearer Creek 
and at the Sacred Heart Creek, large number* 
perished. Parties gathering for flight with 
their teams Here overtaken and murdered* 
Quick and barbarous destruction was the por- 
tion of all the whites without distinction of age 
or sex. I cann« t stop to give all the sickly de- 
tails of that day of slaughter! Before noon 
the news of the outbreak reached the fort, and 
Capt. Marsh of the Fifth regiment started a& 



once for the agency with forty-eight men. 
Marsh was advised by Mr. Hind man whom he 
met, not to attempt to cross the ferry, that the 
Indians outnumbered him ten to one; but he 
hteded not his council; in crossing, he was am - 
bushed by the Indians concealed in the tall 
weeds near the river, and he and 24 of his men 
lost their lives. 

During the day messengers were sent with 
the news to the upper Indians at Yellow Medi- 
cine. Upon reception of the same the Indians 
assembled in council to the number of 100 or 
inoiv. They concluded to join the lower bands 
in their hellish work. They were opposed 
however, by John Other Day, a civilized In* 
dian. By the efforts of this man and guided 
by him, a party of twenty men and forty -two 
women and children made their way to the set- 
tlements and were saved. He also sett word 
on Monday night at nine o'clock to the people 
at Mr. Rigg's place, six miles above the upper 
agency, and 42 including the missionaries, 
Kiggs and Williamson, made their escape * 
Messengers were dispatched by the India: s at 



— 156 — 

once to all their friends to notify them of what 
was being enacted. Fort Ridgley and New 
Ulm weie filled with fugitives, that night, 
many bleeding from ghastly wounds and trem- 
bling from affright. Blazing houses were to 
be seen in every direction as the incendiaries 
plied the merciless torch. The frightened 
inmates prepared themselves for battle as well 
as they might, and dispatched messengers to 
the settlements for relief. 

Little Crow, with three hundred warriors, 
left the agency for the fort during the morning 
pursuant to an understanding had the previous 
night; but on the way dissentions arose which 
resulted in a division of the force. One hun- 
dred and tweuty under Little Crow went to 
the vicinity of the fort but made no attack 
that day. The remainder of the party, intent 
upon plunder, scattered themselves through 
the settlements around New Ulm and on the 
Cottonwood. At 4 o'clock a hundred of them 
gathered and made an attack on the town 
burning the buildings on the outskirts and kill- 
ing several persons in the streets. This town 



ihell contained a population of 1,500 souls 
principally Germans; and this number was 
largely increased by the fugitives. On the 
next day Judge Flandreau reinforced Kew Ulm 
with a party from St. Peter, He found the 
people were in a state of utter frenzy with no 
organization fur defense. The interior uf the 
town was barricaded making a large square sur- 
rounded by wagons, barrels, and all kinds of 
trumpery, within which the people were hud- 
died together like a flock of frightened sheep. 
At 1 o'clock P. M. on Wednesday the 20th of 
August, Little Crow being re ^ in forced by 
those Indians who had bjen at New Ulm on 
the previous day, made an attack on Fort Ridg- 
ley and after hard fighting were repulsed with 
considerable loss to the savages, and with but 
slight loss to the garrison, 

On T! ursday morning the attack was re- 
newed and lasted about half an hour. In the 
evening of the same day the attack was again 
renewed and continued about the saaie length 
nf time. Little Crow then returned to the 
agency for reinforcements, and after increasing 



— 158 — 

his force to 450 men from tbe upper agency, 
whom he had sent for, he returned to the at- 
tack on the fort \* hich he prosecuted with re- 
doubled fury. The government stables were 
burned and some of the buildings in the fort 
were fired. Lieut. Sheehan gallantly and suc- 
cessfully held the fort and saved the lives of 
three hundred helpless women and children. 
My time precludes me from giving a more de- 
tailed account of the siege of Fort Ridgley. 
Early on Saturday morning, the 23d the In- 
dians again made their way to New Ulm. 
Since Tuesday no attack had been made on 
that place and the time had been spent in 
strengthening their works, burying their dead, 
and scouting through the surrounding country. 
Many fugitives were thus rescued. At nine 
o'clock in the morning a series of fires were 
seen along the Fort Ridgley side of the river, 
commencing from the direction of the fort and 
rapidly nearing New Ulm. 

The anxious inmates of the town knew 
that these arose fiOni the burning houses along 
the road, and indicated the approach of their 



— 159 — 

foes. As the fires reached opposite the town 
long lines of Indians were seen coming dawn 
the gullies, in the bluffs near the middle ferry 
and taking positions. A large force of 
Indians made their appearance two miles above 
the city. At a signal both parties made a sim- 
ultaneous attack upon the town. Judge Flan- 
•dreau believing a battle en the open prairie 
would be more advantageous to the whites, 
posted all his available force, some 2,50 men, 
aided by the citizens, on the open field 
outside the town. The Indians advanced to 
the attack and a terrific battle ensued, continu- 
ing for five hours with varying results on each 
side. The Indians taking advantage of a 
strong wiml which was blowing towards the 
town, and protected by the smoke of the burn- 
ing buildings which they had fired as they ad- 
vanced, were enabled to destroy the entire city, 
save the small portion enclosed within the bar- 
ricade. At last the savages were repulsed, 
after the town was laid in ashes. Then the 
ipecple of New Ulm fearing they might be at- 
tacked again l>y a still larger force, abandoned 



— 160 — 

their town and went to Mankato 2,000 m num- 
ber, carrying their sick and wounded in a train 
of 25 3 wagons. 

While New Ulm and Fort Ridgley were 
attacked, the depredations extended through- 
out the whole western frontier of Minnesota 
and into Iowa and Dakota. During that week 
over 1,200 people perished and about 200 peo- 
ple were made captives. On Tuesday two In- 
dians killed Mr. Amos Huggins, at Lac-qui- 
parle. On Wednesday they began murdering 
at Lake Shetek, and Spirit Lake in Iowa, and 
also in the neighborhood of Forest City, 120* 
miles apart. Most of my readers have read of 
the escape of Mrs. Hurd from Lake Shetek and 
reaching New Ulm a distance of 90 miles, car- 
rying two children, one an infant and subsist- 
ing during the journey on berries and green 
corn, and of the hardships endured by Mrs. 
Estlick and her children. A recital of all the' 
atrocious barbarities, perpetrated oil the de- 
fenceless settlers on the frontiers of Minnesota 
during the terrible week of terror and death, 
would be too revolting to give in public dis* 
course. 



— 161 — 

We will therefore return to Col. Sibley, 
whom we left at St. Peter making preparations 
for an advance movement. On Sunday his 
force was increased by the arrival of some 200 
mounted men called the Cullen guard under 
command of VV\ J. Cullen. These with about 
100 more mounted men were placed under 
command of Col. Samuel McPhail. On the 
same day six more companies of the Sixth regi- 
ment under Col. Crooks. Several companies 
of volunteer militia had also congregated here, 
which swelled Sibley's command to some 1,400 
men. St. Peter, where he now was, a large 
straggling town of several thousand inhabi- 
tants and increased to double its true number, 
presented a picture of excitement not easily 
forgotten. Oxen were killed in the streets and 
the meat hastily prepared, cooked over fires 
made on the ground. All thought of property 
was abandoned. Safety of life prevailed over 
every other consideration. Many of the wound- 
ed and mutilated were brought in from the 
surrounding country, who subsequently died, 
af ter lingering many days in agony.. On the 



— 162 — 

26th Lieut, Gov. Donnelly, wrote to the exec- 
utive from St. Peter: "You can hardly con- 
ceive the panic ex'siing along this valley, la 
Belle Plain I found 600 people crowded. In 
this place the leading citizens assure me there 
are between three and four thousand refugees. 
On the road to New Ul;n and Mankato are 
over two thousand. Mankato also is crowded. 
The people here are in a state of panic. They 
fear to see our forces leave. The people will 
continue to pour down the valley carrying con- 
sternation wherever they go, their property in 
the meantime abandoned and going to ruin; 

The safety of thesj towns and the panic- 
stricken people depended entirely upon Col. 
Sibley's success, and he could not risk every- 
thing to march until prepared. 

On Thursday August 25th Col Sibley left 
St. Peter, with his command for Fort Ridgley 
where he arrived on the 28th; during this march 
several dead bodies were discovered and buried. 
A Mr. Richardson from Glencoe who volun- 
unteered to go to Fort Ridgley and ascertain 
the news in reference to progress of the Indian 



— 163 — 

War Was murdered hear the fort. His body 
was found by Co. F and buried on the spot 
where found. It was subsequently removed to 




Glencoe. Intrench men ts were thrown up 
around the fort and upon a neigh* 
boring elevation which commanded the 



— 164 — 



camp. Cannon were placed in position and a 
strong guard continually kept up. The first 
two nights after the arrival of the forces, shots 
were fired into the camp, and a general attack 
expected; but none came. It could never be 
satisfactorily determined whether the shots 
were from Indians or were ordered by the 
commander for the purpose of trying the raw 
troops to see if they were prepared for a night 
attack! 

On the 1st day of September Lieut. Col. 
Marshall with a portion of the Seventh regi- 
ment joined the expedition. All that was now 
needed for a forward movement was ammuni- 
tion and provisions; but these did not arrive in 
sufficient quantity for many days afterward. 
Excitement soon came in most woful shape. 




Bifch Goolie. 



On Sunday, the last day of August, Capt. 
Grant's army of infantry, seventy men of the 



Oullen guard under Capt. Anderson, and a de- 
tail of citizens and soldiers from other compa- 
nies of the Sixth regiment together with sev- 
enteen teamsters with teams, numbering in all 
about 150 men were dispatched under command 
of Major Joe Brown to the lower agency for 
the purpose of burying the dead and ascertain 
if possible the whreabouts of the enemy. The 
next morning the cavalry and a small portion 
of the infantry crossed the river at the agency, 
buried the dead, and went some little distance 
above and found no indications of the Indians 
having been there for several days. Capt* 
Grant with the Infantry, interred the dead on 
the Fort Ridgley side including those at Bea- 
ver Creek and camped during the afternoon on 
the same side of the river, where they were 
joined in the evening by Major Brown and his 
detachment. Brown seeing no signs of Indi- 
ans about the agency led him to believe there 
were none in the vicinity. The place was se- 
lected for camping because of its proximity to 
wood and water; but as subsequent events 
showed, a worse site could not have been selec* 



— 166 — 

tecl in the state! It was within gunshot of the 
head of the wooded ravine on one aide an 1 of 
an elavation on the other, from behind which, 
an attacking party could command the camp 
with safety to themselves. 

Major Brown was correct however in his 
conclusion that the Indians had left the lower 
agency several days before. On Thursday 
four days after the last attack on New Ulm, 
hearing of Sihjey's march to the fort and anx- 
ious to place their families in safety, they had 
moved up above the Yellow Medicine river. 
Shortly after, an Indian who had b- j en getting 
his traps back of New Ulm, told them that he 
had been within view of the town and that it 
appeared to him to be deserted. On hearing 
this a war party was at once organized to pro- 
ceed to New Ulm and get what plunder they 
wanted and then attack St. Peter and Mankato 

Early Monday morning 349 warriors with 
a long train of wagons to carry their plunder, 
started clown the river on the reservation side 
under Gray Bird of Little Crow's band. One 
hundred and ten more under Crow, followed in 



an hour with the intention of joining them but 
crossed the river at Yellow Medicine to meet 
any troops which might be coming up on that 
riide to attack their families. They changed 
their minds after they had marched five or six 
miles and went towards the Big Woods in the 
neighborhood of Acton. 

When Gray Bird's force arrived at the 
Lower Agency they caught sight of Major 
Brown's horsemen winding up the ravine to 
Grant's camp. Runners were sent over to 
watch them and ascertain if they were moving 
towards Yellow Medicine or the fort. When 
these returned and informed them that the 
whites had encamped their joy knew no bounds 
and they at once resolved on the attack which 
followed. During the night the Indians quiet- 
ly crossed the river and marched up the ravine 
whose high banks concealed them. Before 
daylight they were within short musket range 
of Brown's camp, the occupants of which were 
sleeping soundly after the previous day's fa- 
tigue, unconscious of the terrific volcano that 
was about to burst upon them. Between the 



— 168 — 

Sibley tents and the wooded banks of the ra- 
vine which was not more than ten rods dis- 
tant, there was stretched on picket pins a large 
rope in the form of an elipse. To this rope 
there were tied by their halters, ninety cavalry 
horses. The wagons were between the tents 
and the horses. Just as it began to dawn g**ay 
in the east, one of the smtinels thought he saw 
something creeping towards him in the grass. 
He fired at it and before the echoes of the re- 
port died away a volley from three hundred 
guns within a hundred yards of the slumbering 
camp, raked the tents ''fore and aft," For 
more than three hours this firing was kept up 
with scarcely an intermission and in that fatal 
three hours some twenty men were killed or 
mortally wounded, and some sixty severely 
wounded and ninety horses killed. After the 
effects of the first fire was partially over, the 
men commenced to dig, and dig tbey did, with 
one pick, three spades, a couple of old axes, 
knives, bayonets, tin plates, and sticks, and by 
four o'clock p. m., they had holes enough in 
the ground to protect them from shooting at a 



I 



— 169 — 

distance. When they were relieved by Col. 
Sibley they bad been thirty-one hours without 
food or water, with but thirty rounds of ammu- 
nition to a man when they commenced, and less 
than five when relieved. This was the severest 
battle of the war in proportion to the number 
engaged. One horse alone survived and he 
was terribly wounded. Capt Grant had found 
a woman the day before near Beaver Creek, 
who though severely wouocled by a charge of 
buckshot, had made her escape from the mass- 
acre near Patterson's Rapids She had been 
fourteen days without seeing a human being, 
and had eaten nothing during this time but a 
few berries obtained by dragging herself 
through the briers. When found she was near- 
ly dead, and in such an exhausted state as to 
be almost unable to speak and could give but 
little account of herself or her sufferings. 
£he was lying in a high wagon in the center of 
the camp during the attack, and strange as 
it may ste n, she received no injury though a 
number of balls passed through the wagon 
from different directions and the spokes of the 



wheels were cut to pieces by the bullets. God 
would not break the bruised reed. 

While the battle of Birch Coolie was going 
on, the sentries at Fort Ridgley eighteen miles 
away, as they walked their beats, heard the 
volleys of musketry distinctly. When this 
was reported in camp, the eminences were sur- 
rounded quickly with anxious listeners. The 
wind was blowing strongly towards the direc- 
tion from which the sound was stated to have 
proceeded, but by throwing one's self upon the 
ground the rapid discharge of firearms could be 
easily heard. Col. McPhail with fifty horse- 
men, Maj. McLaren with 105 Infantry, Lieut. 
Sheehan with a few men, and Capt. Mark 
Hendricks witn a mountain Howitzer, were at 
once ordered to their relief. The writer will 
here mention that Lieut, Sheehan was ordered 
back to Fort Ridgley for reinforcements, run- 
ning the Indian gauntlet, his horse being shot 
twice and not being injured himself. 

Col Sibley started with his whole command 
accompanied by Sergeant Jones with two pieces 
of cannon. A slow weary march of fifteen 



— 171 — 

miles amid the darkness, which was now 
intense, was lit up by a bright flash, followed 
by the quick roar of the howitzer, and guided 
by its repeated discharges to which our canons 
auswersd we found ourselves at the eamp of the 
second detachment. We then threw ourselves 
down on the grass and waited for the daylight. 
At early dawn the entire force was in motion. 
As we neared Birch Coolie tents could be seen 
through the trees and speculations were as to 
whether it was Brown's camp or that of the In* 
dians as they have tents very similar to our 
own- The Indians were soon seen swarming 
through a belt of woods toward our marching 
column from the direction of the tents, and 
quickly scattering along the line* waving their 
blankets and shouting defiance. Some were 
mounted, and one on a white hoise was conspi- 
cuous, riding up and down the line and encour- 
aging his comrades. As they approached 
nearer to us they threw themselves down be- 
hind eminences which would afford protection, 
and poured a rapid fire into our column. Nearly 
all the bullets flew too high, or were spent and 



— 172 — 

only one of our men was wounded. Skirmish- 
ers were at once throwu out, who, with quick 
discharges drove them back, and the bursting 
shells from the cannon soon put them to flight. 
They retreated rapidly down Birch Coolie and 
crossed the river at the agency. When we 
reached Brown's camp the scene presented was 
most horrible and one the soldiers can never 
forget. The camp was surrounded by the dead 
bodies of the horses, ninety in number, perfor- 
ated with bullets. The tents were riddled with 
balls as many as 104 being found to have passed 
through a single one. Ditches were dug be- 
tween the tents and the horses and the dirt 
piled on them so as to form a breastwork. 
Within this circuit lay 16 of the soldiers dead, 
and a number mortally wounded, and a few 
feet distant were more dead bodies. The 
groanings of the wounded could be heard a long 
distance off. William Irvine, of West St. 
Paul, presented a terrible spectacle. He had 
been shot in the head and his brains were ooz- 
ing over his face; and yet he lived for a num- 
ber of hours, his breathing heavily and painful- 



— 173 — 

ly distinct. After the dead were buried the 
command returned to the fort carrying the 
wounded with them. 

Col. Sibley was compelled to remain many 
days inactive at Fort Ridgley for want of am- 
munition and supplies; the time was improved 
by the troops by daily drills. Col. Sibley was 
carrying on a correspondence during this time 
with the Indians in reference to the relief of 
the white captives held by them. Trnse con- 
sisted of about 250 in number nearly all of 
whom were women. At the time, I thought 
Col. Sibley was inexcusably diilatory in advan- 
cing towards the Indians; but since examining 
the matter more thoroughly, I am satisfied he 
pursued the wisest course. I have talked free- 
ly with him in regard to the motives that actu- 
ated him in his dealing with Indians during 
that fail, and I am perfectly certain that from 
his knowledge of Indian character, gained by 
many years' residence among them, he was the 
very best man in the state that could have been 
selected to conduct that campaign. Had he 
marched at once against their camp^the prison- 



— 174 — 

ers would probably all have been massacred. 
Many of the Indians favored this course, but 
by delay and negotiations with such of the 
chiefs as were known to be friendly, to the 
whites and who were opposed to the war, their 
lives were saved. On the 18th of September 
the camp at Fort Riclgley was broken up, aud 
the expedition disgusted with long inactivity, 
joyfully started on its upward march after the 
foe. The river was crossed opposite the fort. 
The first night we camped at Four Mile lake; 
the second near the Redwood agency. None 
of the enemy were seen during these two days. 

Early the third morning we proceeded on 
our way. On passing a new grave we found 
several hundred little sticks thrust into the 
fresh dirt indicating the number of Indians 
who had visited it. They were scouts from 
tha camp above Yellow Medicine. As we ad- 
vanced we could see these scouts on their po- 
nies on every hillock, watching our movements 
until we came near, then they would scud away. 
They amused themselves by firing several brid- 
ges to impede our progress. These were smo- 



— 175 — 

king when we came up, but not materially in- 
jured. The next day George Gleason's body 
was found on the prairie and buried. He was 
Mr. Galbraith's clerk at the Lower agency and 
well known throughout the state. On the eve- 
ning of the 22d we camped on the Lone-Tree 
Lake, two miles from Wood Lake and two 
from the Yellow Medicine river. Next morn- 
ing between six and ^even o'clock, as we were 
taking our breakfast some foraging teams with 
their guards when about half a mile from camp 
were fired upon by Indians who laid concealed 
in the grass. The guards returned the tire 
while the teams were turned about and urged 
to their utmost speed. The Third regiment 
under Major Welch which had joined us at the 
fort hurried out without orders from the com- 
mander of the expedition crossed a ravine and 
Mas soon engaged with the foe. The Third 
were ordered back into camp and just then the 
enemy appeared in great numbers on all sides, 
and were gathering in the ravine between the 
regiment and th^ camp. In justice to the 
Third Minnesota regiment, I desire to say that 



— 176 — 

although they were accused by many of acting 
in a very lawless manner and disregarding ne- 
cessary military discipline, while on 
this campaign, there are many things that can 
be offered by way of excuse for them. It will 
be remembered that the Third regiment had 
been surrendered to the rebels at Murfreesbor* 
ough, Tenn., through the cowardice of its col- 
onel and a majority of its officers. The men 
were paroled and permitted to return to their 
homes while waiting to be exchanged, while 
their officers were held as prisoners of war in 
the South. The Third was as fine and brave a 
regiment of soldiers as left Minnesota during 
the rebellion; but at this time they were with- 
out officers; they did not know whether or not 
they had been, or would be exchanged; they 
felt desperate, reckless and ugly. They en- 
listed to fight and not to be surrendered to the 
enemy; and smarting under a sense of apparent- 
disgrace, they seemed to care but little what 
they did. Hence they were more than glad of 
an opportunity to fight the Indians, though the 
latter o utnumbered them ten to one. With 



— m — 

tbis intense desire to fight they were now ac- 
commodated and although surrounded by mauy 
times their number, and many of them badly 
wounded including the brave Maj. Welch, and 
several killed, they cut their way out carrying 
their wounded comrades with them. . The bat- 
tle which was known as that of Wood lake had 
now fairly begun. The bullets tlew thick and 
fast some of them penetrating the tents. The 
cannons now opened fire as did the howitzers. 
Col. Marshall with three companies of the Sev- 
enth and Capt. Grant of the Sixth, charged 
amid a shower of baHs, on the double quick, 
through the ravine and put the Indians to rout. 
While the Seventh regiment were engaged on 
the east side of the lake with the main body of 
Indians another detachment of them came 
around the west end following a ravine which 
was concealed by an intervening ridge and at- 
tempted to get into the rear of our encampment. 
Co. F was detatched and ordered forward to 
intercept them. The company started out on 
the double quick, and met the Indians before 
they had time to gain the elevation of the 



ridge;' and afte¥ L con^erh^^^p^gh^ng^ 
they werelrepuls^ci and retrekted rapidly over* 
trie op^ 

river. During this attack tire 1 captain of Com- 
pany U F. was - J wounded, The : contest lasted 
about an hour and a half, ^ite number act n al- 
ly engaged on each sicte^ '"Was~ abdtit L 800, 
many of our men being held in camp ias a re- 
serve. Our loss was idur killed' arid about 50 
wounded," among whom w ere several Re<I w in g 
boysf Ben t)ensmore, ; and Mermen Pfettibone 
were among them. Ma j . Welch was ' very se j 
Verely wo uncled having the bones of one of his 
legs shattered. ^ At the conclusion of the battle 
the iridians requested leave to earry away their 
dead but were refused. FiMeri Indian% were 
found dead upon the battle field' and buried and 
a wounded one brought in as a prisoner. He 
lived three days although shot through the 
lungs, protesting all the while that he was a 
good Indian. "After remaining one day at> 
Wo oh lake we marched to the 'Indian camp 
near Lac-qui-Parle, 

The writer gives great credit to the Ren-? 



179 — 

Ville dangers for their daring deeds at these 
Ibattles as each one wears his medal as a token of 
bravery and among them II. Peirce, the wri- 
ter's brother* 

We reached there on the 26th of Septem- 
ber. It Was located nearly opposite the mouth 
of the Chippewa river and about four miles 
from where Montevideo is now located, and 
numbered 5 about 100 tepees. Little Crow and 
some 200 men and their familes rapidly fled the 
day after the battle/ Our own camp which was 
called Camp Release, was pitched about a quar- 
ter of a mile from that of the Indians which 
our cannon commanded. Their camp was fill- 
ed with wagons and cattle which they had sto- 
len. Their tents were well supplied with car 
pettf and different kinds of goods and house- 
hold utensils which they had taken from the 
bouses of our murdered citizens. Soon afteV 
our arrival the commander rode over and took 
possession and posted sl strong guard around it, 
to prevent the escape of any of the inmates, A 
formal demand which was made for the cap- 
tives was instantly complied with. Thoy were 



nearly 250 in number. They had been com* 
pelled to wear the Indian dress during their 
captivity but had now been permitted to resume 
their former habiliments. The poor cieatures 
wept for joy at their escape. They had 
watched for our coming for many a weary day,. 
The woe written in the faces of the half -starved 
and nearly naked women and children would 
have melted the hardest heart. They were ta- 
ken to our camp where they remained until 
sent below a few days afterwards. On the 1st 
day of October at Camp Release the Sixth reg- 
iment was mustered into the service of the 
United States, having left Fort Snelling in 
such haste as to prevent this ceremony's being 
performed. A military commission of inquiry 
was at once appointed to ascertain the guilty 
parties, and testimony against about a dozen 
obtained. A commission for the trial of these, 
and of any others who might be accused was 
then organized and some thirty or forty were 
arrested. The remainder in camp were sent 
down to the Tellow Medicine, under the charge 
of Agent Galbraith, as the stock of provisions 
was fast becoming exhausted. 



— 181 — 

The prisoners were linked together in 
pairs, by chains forged to their ankles, On 
the 23d of October the tents were struck, and 
with the Indian prisoners in wagons, we com- 
menced our homeward march. At Yellow Med- 
icine we took in the other prisoners and that 
night we pitched our tents in the valley of the 
Redwood. The Indian camp, consisting prin- 
cipally of women and children had been previ- 
ously removed to this place from Yellow Medi- 
cine* It was soon after moved to Ft, Snd ing 
under the command of Col. Marshall. Sev- 
eral weeks were spent at the lower agency, the 
trials still progressing. During the time the 
Sixth and Seventh regiments were daily exer- 
cised in the evolutions of the battalion drill. 
Here was the most comfortable camping ground 
we had found during the campaign. 

The male prisoners had been confined in 
the ]ail which had been constructed a^d the 
trials were held in a log building attached to 
La Batt's store. Over three hundred Indians 
were found guilty, and condemned to be hung, 
but President Lincoln pardoned all but thirty- 



— 182 — 

eight of them. On the 1th of November. Sib- 
ley moved to the vicinity of Mankato going in- 
to camp on a flat at the junction of the Minne- 
sota and Blue Earth rivers, a log jail having 
been built there for the reception of the prison- 
ers, They were subsequently removed into the 
city of Mankato where they were confined in a 
stone building on Main street nearly opposite 
the end of the present bridge across the Min- 
nesota river. When the command passed 
through New Ulm, the inhabitants hearing we 
were coming with the Indian prisoners, rushed 
forth, men, women and children armed with 
clubs, pitchforks, hoes, brickbats, knives, sp ides 
and guns, and attacked the prisoners. The wo- 
men were perfectly furious, they danced around 
with their aprons full of stones, and cried for 
an an opportunity to get at the Indians, upon 
whom they poured the most violent abuse. 
Many rushed forward and discharged a shower 
of stones. The writer remembers most vivid- 
ly one women who passed near him as his com- 
pany were marching on either side of the wagon 
containing the prisoners with loaded muskets 



— 183 — 



and fixed bayonets to guard them against the 
fury of the people of Nc\v Ulm; she had a long 




Col. Ghas. E. Fland^au, 

The H<rj : .c Commander of the Siege at 
New Ulm. 



— 184 — 

knife in her hand; her eyes flashed with the fe- 
rociousness of a fiend and the only thing that 
restrained her from breaking through our lines, 
was the gleam of a bay met presented to het 
breast. Another, somehow, got through and 
pounded an Indian in the face till she broke 
his jaw, and he fell backward out of his wagon 
and died a few clays afterwards from his injur- 
ies. It must be remembered that these were 
the brutal murderers of their friends. The ex- 
pedition soon reached Camp Lincoln as it wag 
called above Mankato. 




Execution of 38 Sioux Indians 
at Pankato, JWinn. 

On Monday afternoon Col. Miller address- 
ed the prisoners as follows: 

<k Tbe commanding officer of this place 
has called to speak to you on a very serious* 
subject this afternoon. Your Great Father at 
Washington after carefully reading what your 
witnesses have testified in your several trials 



_ 185 — 

have come to the conclusion tLat you have each 
been guilty of wickedly and wantonly murder- 
ing his Avhite children; and for this reason he 
has directed that you each be hanged by the 
neck until you are dead on next Friday, and 
that order will be carried into effect that day 




at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. 

Good ministers, both Catholic and Protes- 
tant are here from among whom each of you 
caik select your spiritual adviser, who will be 
permitted to commune constantly with you 
during the four days you are yet to live." 

The colonel then instructed Adjt. Arnold 



— 186 — 

to read to them in English the Liter of Presi* 
dent Lincoln which in substance ordered that 
38 prisoners whose names are i;iven, shall be 
executed at the time above stated. Rev. Mr. 
Riggs then read the letter in the Dakota lan- 
guage. The colonel further instructed Mi\ 
Riggs to tell them that they had sinned so 
against their fellow man that there is no hope 
for clemency except in the mercy of God, 
through the m rits of thj Blessed Redeemer, 
aad that he earnestly exhorted them to apply 
to that as their only remaining source of conso- 
lation. 

The occasion was one of much solemnity 
to the persons present, though but very little 
emotion was manifested bj the Indians. A 
half-breed named Millcrd seemed much de- 
pressed in spirits. All listened attentively and 
at the conclusion of each sentence indulged 
in their usual grunt or signal of approval. At 
the reading of that portion of the warrant con- 
demning them to be hanged by the necks, the 
response was quite feeble and was given by 
only two or three, Several Indians smoked 



- 18? — 

theii ; pipes composedly during the reading, and 
we observed one in particular, who, when the 
time of execution was designated, quietly 
knocked the ashes from his pipe and filled it 
afresh with his favorite kinnekinnick; while 
another was slowly rubbing a pipe full of the 
same article in his hand preparatory to a good 
smoke* The iLdians were evidently prepared 
for the visit and the announcement of their 
sentence— one or two having overheard sol* 
diers talking about it, when they were removed 
to a separate apartment. 

At the conclusion of the ceremony Col, 
Miller instructed Maj Brown to tell the Indi- 
ans that each would be privileged to designate 
the minister of his choice, that a record of the 
same would be made and the minister so select* 
ted have free intercourse with him The col- 
onel ana spectators then withdrew, leaving the 
ministers in consultation with the prisoners. 

The Indians under sentence were confined 
in a back room on the first floor of Leech's 
stone building chained in pairs and strongly 
guarded. 



— 188 — 

The following are the Indian names of the 
condemned prisoners: 

1. Te-he-do-ne-cha (One who forbids his 
house), says he was sleeping when the outbreak 
took place at the Lower agency. He was not 
present at the breaking open of the stores, but 
afterwards went over the Minnesota river and 
took some women captives, The men who were 
killed there he says were killed by other Indi- 
ans, whom he named. 

2. "Ptan-doo-ta, alias Ta-joo (Red Otter), 
says he had very sore eyes at the time of the 
outbreak, and was at that time down opposite 
P'ort Ridgley. He was with the party that 
killed Patwell. Ma-ya-bon-doo killed Patwell. 
He took Miss Williams captive. Says he would 
have violated the women but they resisted. He 
thinks he done a good deed in saving the wo- 
men alive. 

3. Wy a-tah-ta-wa (His people) says he 
was at the attack on Capt. Marsh's Company, 
and also at New Ulm. He and another Indian 
shot a man at the. same time. He does not 
know whether he or the other Indian killed the 
white man. 



— ISO — 

He was wounded in following up another 
white man. He was at the battle of Birch 
Coolie where he fired his gun four times; he 
fired twice at Wood Lake, 

4. Hin-han-shoon-ko-yag-rna-ne (One who 
walks clothed in an owl's tail), says he is 
charged with killing white people, and so con- 
demned; he does not know certainly that he 
killed any one; he was in all the battles. That 
is all he ha* to say, 

5. Ma-za-bo6m=doo (Iron Blower), says 
he was down on the Big Cottonwood when the 
outbreak took place; that he came that day into 
New Ultn and purchased various articles and 
then started home; he met the Indians coming 
down; saw some in wagons shot but does not 
know who killed them; he was present at the 
killing of Patwell and others, but denies having 
done it himself; he thinks he done well by 
Matt : e Williams and Mary Swan, in keeping 
them from being killed; they now live and he 
has to die, which he thinks not quite fair. 

6. Wa-pa-doo-ta (Red Leaf), is an old 
man; he ^ays he was mowing when he heard of 



— 190 — 

the outbreak; he saw some men after they were 
killed about the agency, but did not kill any 
one there; he started down to the Fort and went 
on to the New Ulna settlement; there he shot at 
a man through a window, but does not think he 
killed hm; he was himself wounded at New 
Ulm. 

1. Wa-he-hua (do not know what his 
name means), says he did not kill aDy one; if 
he had believed he had killed a white man he 
would have fled with Little Crow; the witness- 
es lied on him. 

8. Qua-ma-ne (Tinkling Walker) says he 
-was condemned on the testimony of two Ger- 
man boys; they say he killed two persons; the 
boys lied. He was not at that place at all. 

9. Ta-tah-me-ma (Round Wind) is a bro- 
ther-inlaw of the foimerwell known Mr. Joseph 
Renville; he was the public crier for Little 
Crow before and during the outbreak; after the 
battle at Wood lake he came over to the oppo- 
sition, and was the crier at Camp Release when 
the captives were delivered up; he was con- 
demned on the testimony of two German boys 



who said they saw J) i ui kill thei r matter:; 
the old man denies the charge, aaid saj s. h-e 
rS&M not across the river, at that^ time^ and; that 
he vas unjustly condemned. He is ..the only 
one of the 38 who has been at all in tha,,ba])it 
of attending Protestant \vorshjp; ; f JLast Sabbath 
he requested Dr. Williamson to baptise him, 
professing repentaaa.ce and faith in Jesus Christ; 
which was done on Monday beiorq he knew lie 
was .among ihqs.p to be. h ung at this time. May 
r God have mercy on soul. r] . } 

10.,. Rda-in-yau-ka (Rattling, Runner), says 
c he did not,, know of the uprising on Monday. the 
,13th of August until they had killed a number 
of men; he went out and met L ttle Crow and 
tried to stop the murders but could not. The 
next dav his son- ^vas brought home wounded 
from Fort Ridgley, , He forbade, the delivery 
< f the white captive^ to Paul when he demand- 
ed them, and he supposes ho is to be hung for 

• that - '-rpaur^oi M »r- '. ! ' j 5 

11. Do-wan-sa (The Smger) says he was 

one of the six who were down in the Swan lake 

neighborhood; he knows they killed two men 



— 192 * 

and two women, but this ^ras done by the rest 
of the party and not by himself. 

12. Ha-pan (second child, if a son) says 
he was not in the massacre of New Ulm, nor 
the agency; he was with the compaiiy who kilt* 
ed Pat well and bis companions 3 he took one of 
the women. O-Va-tay-ta wa killed Patwell. 

13. Shoon-ka-ska (white dog) says that 
when the outbreak took place he ran away and 
did not get any of the stolen propertj ; at the 
ferry he talked with Quinn; first called totheifi 
to come over, but when he saw the Indiana 
were in ambush, he beckoned to Capt. Marsh 
to itay back, he says his position and conduct 
at the ferry weri misunderstood and misrepre^ 
sented, that he wanted peace and did not com- 
mend the Indians to fire on Capt. Marsh's men ) 
that another man should be put to death for 
that, and complains bitterly that he did not 
have a chance to tell things as they were; that 
he could not have an opportunity of refuting 
the false testimony brought against him; he 
says they all expected to have another trial—* 
that they were promised it J that they have done 



- 193 — 

great wrong to the white people and do not re- 
fuse to die, but they think it hard that they 
should not not have a fairer trial. They want 
the president to know this. 

14. Toon-kan-e-chah-tag-ma-ne (out who 
walks by his grandfather), says he took nothing 
from the stores except a blanket; he was at Ft. 
Ridgley, but killed nobody. He is charged 
with killing white persons in a wagon, but he 
did not; they were killed by another man. 

15. E-tag-doo-ta (Red Face), says he was 
woke up in the morning of Monday the 18ihof 
August, but did not kill any one, 

16. Am-da-cha (broken to pieces) says he 
was doctoring a girl when he learned of the 
outbreak at the Lower agency; he went with 
others and took some things from Mr. Forbe's 
store; he fired his gun only twice but thinks he 
did not kill any one. 

17. Hay-pe-dan (the third child if a son), 
says he was not at the stores until all was over 
there; he was with Wabasha and with him op- 
posed the outbreak. He was afterwards driven 
into it by being called a coward. He went 



— 194 — 

acrioSB^he Minpesc^ riy^-^a^^ok two bor^es, 
and afterward captured a woman ancl two ehiL 
dr.en. He tried to keep a white man from, be- 
ing kiliad, but could not. He was at the ferry . t 
when ^larsli's men were killed but had only a 
bow and j^rows there. He was iu three battles 
and shot six times but he does not know that. 
h@ killed any one. ....... , 

18. Mah-pe-o-ke-ne-jin (who stan^s^n the 
cloud), Cut-nosegays that when Litjde Ciow 
proposed to kill the traders he. wen J along; he 
says .he is charged with having killed a c a reen- 
ter, but he did not do it; he fired off his gun in 
one of the stores ^ his nephew was killed at Ft. 
Ridgley; he was put at Hutchinson when his 
son was killed. Little Crow took them out. 
Hq was hungry and went over to an ox, and 
when there saved Mr. Brown's family. 

19. Henry Milord, a halfrbreed. Kenry 
says he went over the Minnesota river with 
Baptiste Campbell^ and others; they were 
forced to go by Little Crow. He fired his gun. 
at a woman but does not think he killed -her. - 
several others fired at her also. Ho did not 



— 1.6.5. — 

see her afterwards. Henry Milord was raised 
by Gen. Sibley. lie was a smart active intelli- 




"Cut Nose 53 

£ Who killed eighteen men and five women. 

gent young man, and as such, would be likely 
to be drawn into the Dakota rebellion; indeed, 



— 196 — 

it was next to impossible for yonngmen wheth- 
er halfbreeds or full-bloods to keep out of it. 
They are to be pitied as well as blamed. 

20. Chas-kay-dan (the first bora if a son) 
says he went to the stores in the rao 1 ning of 
Monday; then he saw Little Crow taking away 
goods. He then went up to Redwood with a 
relation of his and were told that a white man 
was coming on the road; they went out to meet 
him but the first who came along was a half- 
breed. They let him pass. Then came along 
Mr. Gleason and Mrs. Wakefield: his friend 
shot Mr. Gleason and he attempted to fire on 
bim bat his gun did not go off. He saved Mrs. 
Wakefield and the children, and now he dies 
while she lives. 

21. Baptiste Campbell is the son of Scott 
Campbell, who was for many years United 
States interpreter at Fort Snelling, thinks they 
ought to have had a new trial; says he did not 
speak advisedly when before the military com- 
mission. He went over the Minnesota river 
with four others. They were sent over by 
Little Crow and told to get all the cattle they 



Sould &nd kill every white man — if they did 
not the Soldier's Lodge would take care of them; 
they went over to a farm between Beaver Creek 
and Birch Coolie, where they found a lot of 
cattle which they attempted to drive. The cat- 
tle however, ran away and their attention was 
attracted to the owndr. Campbell fired his gun 
first but did not hit the man. He says his 
statement before the commission was misun- 
derstood. Said he was a good shot and if he 
had fired at the man he would have killed him. 
He fired over him intentionally and fired be- 
cause he felt compelled to do so by command 
of Little Crow. Campbell says that Little 
Crow compelled him and his brother Joseph to 
go out to Hutchinson. They tried to get away 
at the time of the attack on Capt. S trout's 
companj but were prevented: they were forced 
to go to the battle of Hutchinson. Little Crow 
told them if they did not kill the white men 
they would be killed, but be did not shoot any 
men there. 

22. Ta-ta-ka*gay(Wind Maker) Was quite 
a young man — a grandson of Sacret Walker, 



.— 198 — 

who took care of Mi;s. Josephine Higgins and 
her children in ttuir captivity; was one of 
those who killed Amos W. Iliggins at Lac- qui- 
Parie. The -other two who . are . probably the 
most guilty have escaped; says he was at Red 
Iron's village, when he, heard of the outbreak. 
Another Indian urged him to go up w.i.uh^-Jii>gi 
and kill Mr. II iggi us Ho refused at first, but 
afterwards went. His comrade shot Mr. 
Higgins and killed him; he then fired off his 
gun but held it up. 

23. Hay-pin kpa (the tip of the horn) is 
condemned bacaus j he boasted of having 
shot Stewart B. Garvie with an arrow. As it is 
not known that Mr, Garvie was shot with an 
arrow, but with buckshot, it is probably true, 
as he naid before the commission that he lied 
about it. This is not the first time a man has 
boen killed for lying. He now says that they 
determined to send all the white people from 
the Yellow Meaicine without killing any. Mr. 
Garvie refused to go; he did net shoot him. 
He dies without being guilty of the charge 
and he trusts in the Great Spirit to save him in 
the other world. 



— 199 — 

24. Hypolite Ange was a half-breed; says 
he had been a clerk in one of the stores previ- 
ous to the outbreak; was sen*- down the Minne- 
sota river with Baptiste Campbell and others, 
by Little Crow; shot the white man but not 
until after he had been killed by others. 

25. Na pa-shue (One who does not flee) 
says that at the time of the outbreak he' was 
quite lame — that he was not engaged m any of 
the massacres; ho was not engaged in any 
battle but was forced with others to come 
down to Yellow Medicine before the battle of 
Wo d Lake; he dies for no fault of his. 

26. Wa-kan-tau-ka (Great Spirit) says he 
was not present at the commencement of the 
outbreak; was nlon^ with the company that 
came down from New Ulm; saw the men in two 
wagons killed but he did not kill any one; says 
one witness before the commission testified that 
he killed one of those men, but the witness 
lied on him. 

27. Toon kan-ko-yag-e-na-jin (one who 
stands clothed with his grandfather) says that 
he was in the battle of Birch Coolie and was 



- 200 — 

also at the battle of Hutchinson, but does not 
know that he killed any one. 

28 Ma-ka-ta-e-na jin (one who stands on 
the earth) is an old man; says he has not used 
a gun for years; was down at New Ulm but did 
not kill any one; had two sons killed; wants to 
have the truth told. 

29. Pa-za-koo-tag-ma-ne (one who walks 
prepared to shoot) says he was one in a war 
party against the Chippewas when the outbreak 
took place; when he carne back the massacres 
were over; he did not kill any one. Says his 
statement before the commission was not un- 
derstood. When he was asked whether he was 
in a war party and fired his gun, he repli ed: 
'•yes; but it was against the Chippewas, and 
not against the whites." 

30. Ta-ta-hde-dan (wind comes home) 
said that the men of Rice Creek were the au- 
thors of the outbreak; tried to keep them from 
killing white people but only succeeded partial- 

iy- 

31. Wa-she-choon (Frenchman) says he 
did not know anything about killing white 



— 201 — 

people; is to die for do crime. Was very much 
affected. 

32. A~e-cha-ga (to grow upon) is charged 
with participating in the murder of an old man 
and two girls; and makes no confession nor de- 
nial. 

33. Ko tan-in^koo (voice that appears 
coming), says he did not have a guii; was at 
the Big Woods and struck a man with his hat- 
chet after he had been shot by another man. 
Did not abase any white woman. 

34. Cbay-tan-hoon-ka (the parent hawk) 
says he killed no one; was down at Fort Ridg- 
ley and also at Beaver Creek and took horses 
from there but did not kill the man. 

35. Chan-ka-hda (near the woods) says he 
took Mary Anderson captive after she had been 
shot by another man and thinks it rather hard 
he is to be hun^ for another's crime. 

36. Hda-hin-day (to make a rattling noise 
suddenly) says he was up north at the time of 
the outbreak and did not come down until after 
the killing of the whites was passed; was at the 
battle of Wood lake; says he is charged with 



having killed two children" but the charge is 
false. 

37. O-ya-tag-a-kso (the coming peo- 
ple) says he was with the company that 
killed Patwell and others; he is charged with 
striking him with a hatchet after he was shot. 
This charge he denies. 

• 38, Ma-hoo-way-ma (he comes for me) 
says he was out in one of the raids towards the 
Big Woods; did not kdl anybody but he struck 
a woman who had been killed before; was kirn- 
's elf wounded. 

And now, guilty or not guilty, may God 
kave ire:*cy upon tkese 38 poor human crea- 
tures, and if it be possible save tkem in tke 
other world through Jesus Christ His Son. 
Amen. 

In making these statements, confessions 
and denials, they were generally calm but a few 
individuals were quite excited. They were 
immediately checked by others and told that 
they were all dead men and there was no reason 
why they should not all tell the truth. Many 
of them have indicted letters to their friends^ 



— 203 — 

in which they are very dear to them but will 
see them no more. They exhort th^m not to 
cry nor to change their dress for them. Some 
of them say they expect to go and dwell with 
the Good Spirit and express the hope that 
their friends will all join them there. 

On Tuesday evening they extemporized a 
dance with a wild Indian song. It was feared 
that this was only a cover for something else 
which might be attempted and their chains 
Were thereafter fastened to the floor. It seems 
however, rather probable, that they were only 
singing their death song. Their friends from 
the other prison have been in to bid them fare- 
Well and they are now ready to die. 

The following is a copy or a letter from 
one of the condemned prisoners to bis chief 
and fatherinlaw, Wabasha. It was taken down 
in the exact language dictated by the prisoner, 
and excepting its untruthfulness, we think it 
an excellent letter. 

"Wabasha: You have deceived me. You 
told me that if we followed the advice of Ger* 
Sibley and give ourselves up to the whites all 



— 204 — 

would be well — no inuoceut man would be in- 
jured. I have not killed, injured or wounded 
a white man or any white persons, I have not 
participated in the plunder of their property; 
and yet to day I am set apart for execution and 
must die in a few days while men who are 
guilty will remain in prison. My wife is your 
daughter, my children are your grandchildren. 
I leave them all in your care and under your 
protection. Do not let them suffer, and when 
my children are grown up let them know that 
their father died because he followed the ad- 
vice of his chief, and without having the blood 
of a white man to answer for to the Great 
Spirit. My wife and children are dear to me. 
Let them not grieve for me. Let them remem- 
ber that the brave should be prepared to meet 
death and I will do so as becomes a Dacotah." 
Your son-in-law, 

Rda-in-you-kua. 
The above Indian was convicted of parti- 
cipating in the murders and robberies at the 
Upper Agency and the sworn testimony at 
Washington differs materially from his confes- 
sion as given above. 



— 205 — 



An Affecting Scene. 

On Wednesday, each Indian set apart for 
execution, was permitted to send for two or 
three of his relatives or friends, confined in the 
main prison for the purposa of bidding them a 
final adieu and to carry such messages to the 
absent relatives as each person might ba dis- 
posed to send, Major Brown was present at 
the interview; and describes it as very sad and 
affecting. Each Indian had some word to send 
his parents or family. When speaking of their 
wives and children, almost every one was af- 
fected to tears. 

Good counsel was sent to the children. 
They w r ere in many cases exhorted to an adop- 
tion of Christianity and a life of good feeling 
towards the whites. Most of them spoke con- 
fidently of their hopei of salvation. They had 
been constantly attended by Rev. Dr. William- 
son. Rev. Van Ravaux and Rev. S. R. Riggs 
whcse efforts in bringing these poor criminals 
to the knowledge of the merits of the Blessed 



— 206 

Redeemer had been eminently successful. 
These gentlemen were all conversant with the 
Dakotah language, and could c@nverse and 
plead with the Indians in their own language. 

Fun is a ruling passion with many Indians 
and even Ta-zoo could not refrain from it in 
this sad hour. Ta-ti-mi-ma was sending word 
to his relatives not to mourn his loss. He said 
he was old and could not hope to live long 
uuder any circumstances, and his execution 
would not shorten his days a great deal, and 
dying as he did innocent of any white man's 
blood, he hoped would give him a better chance 
to be saved. Therefore he hoped his friends 
would consider his death but as a removal 
from this to a better world. I have every 
hope said he of going to the abode of the Great 
Spirit, where I shall always be happy. This 
latter remark reached the ears of Ta-zoo, who 
was also speaking to his friends and he elabor- 
ated on it in this wise: 41 Yes. tell our friends 
that we are being removed from this world 
over the saoie path they must shortly travels 



— 201 — 

We go first but many of our friends may follow 
us in a very short time. 1 expect to go direct 
to the abode of the Great Spirit and be happy 
when 1 get there; but we are told that the road 
is long and the distance great, therefore as I 
am slow in all my movements it will probably 
take me a long , time to reach the end of my 
journey and I should not be surprised if some 
of the young active men we will leave behind 
us will pass me on the road before I reach the 
place of my destination." , 

In shaking hands with Red Iron and Aki- 
pa Ta-zoo said: "Friends, last summer you 
were opposed to us. You were living in con- 
tinual apprehension of an attack from those 
who determined to exterminate the whites. 
Yourselves and families were subject to many 
taunts, insults and threats. Still you stood 
firm in your friendship for the whites and con- 
tinually counselled the Indians to abandon 
their raid against the whites. Your course 
was condemned at the time but now we see 
your wisdom. You were right when you said 
the whites could not be exterminated and the 



— 208 — 

attempt indicated folly. You and your families 
were prisoners, and the lives of all in constant 
danger. To-day you are here at liberty assist- 
ing in feeding and guarding us and 38 men will 
die in two days because they did not follow 
your example and advice.*' 

Several of the prisoners were completely 
overcome during the leave taking, and were 
compelled to abandon conversation. Others 
agai»n,and Ta-zoo was one, affected to disregard 
the danger, and joked apparently as uncon^ 
cerned as if they were sitting around a camp 
fire in their perfect freedom. 

On Thursday, the women who were em- 
ployed as cooks for the prisoners, all of whom" 
had relations among the condemned, were ad- 
mitted to the prison. This interview was less 
sad but was still interesting. Locks of hair* 
blankets, coats, and almost every other article 
in the possession of the prisoners, were given 
in trust for some relative or friend who had 
been forgotten or overlooked during the inter- 
view of the previous day. At this interview 
far less feeling was displayed than at the in- 



— 209 — 



terview of Wednesday. The idea of allowing 
women to witness their weakness is repugnant 
to an Indian and will account for this. The 
messages sent were principally advice to their 
friends to bear themselves with fortitude and 
refrain from great mourning. The confidence 
of many in their salvation was again reiterated. 

Gn Thursday evening we paid a brief vis- 
it to the condemned prisoners in their cell. 
The Catholic ministers were baptizing a num- 
ber of them. All the prisoners seemed resigned 
to the fate and much depressed in spirits. 
Many sat perfectly motionless and more like 
statues than living men. Others were deeply 
interested in the ceremouy of baptism. 

Up to the hour of execution people were 
constantly arriving to witness the hanging, and 
the streets were densely crowded with soldiers 
and visitors. The sand bar in the river, the 
opposite bank, and all eligible places were 
occupied by spectators^ 




— 210 — 

The Galloons, 

The gallows, constructed of heavy, square 
white oak timbers, was located on the levee 
opposite headquarters. It was 24 feet square, 
and in the form of a diamond; and about 20 
feet high. The drop was held by a large rope, 
attached to a pole in the center of the frame, 
and the scaffold was supported by heavy ropes 
centering at this pole and attached to the one 
large i'rope running down to and fastened to the 
ground. The gallows was afterwards sold to 
John F. Meagher, who used the timbers in 
building a warehouse, Afterwards one of the 
timbers was donated to the State Historical 
Society and the others have been lost sight of 
in course of time; some having been burned in 
the incendiary fire of the old barn on the cor- 
ner ef Second and Walnut streets. 




— 211 

Ofdep of execution. 



We visited the prisoners in their cells an 
hour before the executioo. Their arms were 
tied; some were painted and all wore blankets, 
or shawls over their shoulders. They were 
seated on the floor composedly awaiting the 
appointed hour. They seemed cheerful, occa- 
sionally smiling and conversing together. The 
last hour was occupied by Father Raveaux in 
religious service, the prisoners following him 
in prayer. Their time was thus occupied until 
the hour of execution. 

Capt. Burt was officer of the day and of- 
ficer of the guard. 

The prisoners were confined in a rear 
room on the south side, first floor of the old 
Leech stone building, the windows and doors 
of which were securely barricaded. At an 
early hour in the morning admittance was de- 
nied to the public and those permitted to spend 
the last hour with the prisoners were the min- 
isters, priests, reporters and officers and men 
of the provost guard. The irons were removed 



— 212 — 

from the limbs of the prisoners, and their arms 
pinioned and other preparations were being 
made while the priests were conducting servi- 
ces or talking to the condemned. 

While Father Raveaux was still talking to 
the prisoners, Capt. Redfield of the provost 
guard entered the prison and whispered to him 
that everything was in readiness, and word was 
communicated to HenryMilord,. half-breed, who 
repeated it to the Indians, most of whom were 
sitting about the floor. In a moment all were 
upon their feet and as the barricades were re- 
moved from the door, forming in single file, 
they marched quickly through the intervening 
room to the front door. On each side was a 
line of infantry, forming a pathway to the .gal- 
lows, and as the prisoners caught sight of that 
instrument they hastened their steps and com- 
menced to sing a death song. The officer of 
the day received them at the gallows, then fol- 
lowing the lead of Capt. Redfield, they ascend- 
ed the steps and eight men detailed to assist, 
placed them in position, adjusted the ropes, 
and placed on their heads unbleached muslin 



- £13 — 

C&ps to hide their faces. All this time theit* 
song was continued with a dancing motion of 
the body. 

Maj. J, R. Brown was signal officer, sta* 
tioned in front of headquarters. He gave 
tnree tapa upon a drum and the last was to no- 
tify Capt* W. J. Duly, stationed inside the 
gallows to cut the rope which held the plat- 
form. His first blow failed to do it, but a 
second brought down the platform with a thud, 
intensified by the dancing motion of the pris- 
oners. 

To those near the gallows, evidences of 
fear and nervoushes under this trying ordeal 
"were manifest. One Indian managed to work 
the noose to the back of his neck and when the 
drop fell he struggled terribly; others tried to 
clutch the blankets of those next to them;while 
with a spirit of defiance one went Upon the gal- 
lows with a pipe in hiis mouth. Two clasped 
nands and remained in this relation till death, 
when their bodies were cut down. In the fall 
the rope of one was broken, but the fall broke 
his neck, and he. lay quiet upon the ground 



— 214 — 

until his body was taken up and hung in place. 
After the lapse of ten minutes one breathed but 
his rope was readjusted and life was soon ex- 
tinct, .« 

Drs, Seignorette of Henderson and Dr. 
Finch of the Seventh regiment were detailed 
to examine the bodies, ana after hanging for 
half an hour they were pronounced lifeless and 
were cut down. 

Four teams, were driven, to the scaffold. 
The bodies were deposited in the wagons and 
under an armed escort conveyed to the place of 
burial— Company K . Capt. Burke, without 
arms, acting as a burial party. • The place of 
burial was the low flat between front street and 
the river which was overgrown by swamp wil- 
lows. A trench wide enough to permit the 
placing of two rows of bodies possibly thirty 
feet long, twelve wide and four to five deep, 
was dug in the sand on the river bank and 
their bodies were placed in with feet to feet, 
the layer was covered with coarse army blank- 
ets and over this another layer of bodies, then 
blankets again and the whole covered with 
earth. 



So great was the desire for relics that cru- 
cifixes, warn pum and ornaments were taken from 
the body before burial; others took locks of 
hair and a few cast off pieces of clothing. The 
burial escort and guard were under command of 
Lieut. Col. Marshall. 



Among the soldiers doing duty on this 
occasion was a lad of possibly 18 or 20 years, a 
member of Co. K, feventh regiment. His 
parents and several sisters and brothers were 
murdered by an Indian on the gallows. The 
lad manifested great excitement throughout 
the proceedings; his face was pale and beads 
of perspiration stood upon his forehead. As 
the drop fell he pointed a finger trembling with 
excitement at the prisoner and as the body dan- 
gled in the air,he g^ive utterance to a loud ex- 
pressionless laugh which was heard and taken up 
by the multitude in a shout of exultations which 
could have been heard for a great distance. 




An Incident- 



216 — 



The Qesuppeekioti* 

On the day of execution a number of phy* 
sicians from different parts of the state as well 
as army surgeons, were here in person or repre- 
sented by agents to procure the bodies for 
scientific use. During the night the grave was 
opened and a number of bodies taken. Others 
were taken on subsequent nights until the 
giave was almost emptied. The bodies of Cut- 
nose named because of a slit in one side of his 
nose and noted for brutality, and the Indian 
who broke his rope, were secured by an emin- 
ent physician of an adjoining town, thorough- 
ly scrubbed, and were their spirits to have re- 
turned they would not have known themselves. 

In the scramble for bodies, one was drop- 
ped or hidden in the timber between the grave 
and the town and next morning it was in the 
possession of a squad of soldiers. It was nude 
and frozen stiff and the possessors were trying 
to place it in position for a mark. A squad 
from headquarters rescued and buiied it before 



- 217 — 

they succeeded in their intentions, they spend- 
ing the day in the guard house. 

Capt. W. J. Duley, of the scouts, was the 
man selected to cut the rope that held the plat- 
form on which the prisoners stood. His wife 
had been a prisoner, taken from the Lake 
Shetek settlement and liberated only a few days 
before the execution. It is said that his first 
blow failed to cut the rope, because of the ex- 
citement under which he labored, bnt the sec- 
ond blow was successful and speedily sent the 
38 murderers to the happy hunting grounds — if 
such characters there are admissable. 




Camp f/lystepy. 



The Indians of the west were never so 
fierce and vindictive as after the close of the 
civil war. In the spring of 1866 there was a 
rush of emigrants into the new states and ter- 
ritories, and about this time came reports of 
gold and silver in several localities. The gov- 
ernment pushed troops into new districts, es- 



— 218 — 

tablished posts and the red man saw the hand- 
writing on the wall. He realized that he would 
be overrun, unless the moveaient was checked, 
and the various tribes buried their differences 
for the time being and united all their energies 
ou the one object of driving the white man 
back. The number of emigrants, land brokers, 
prospectors anc scouts killed between May 
1868 and the campaign which closed with 
Custer's death will never be known. It was 
impossible for any one to secure figures. Men 
were butchered singly in pairs and in fives and 
tens along a frontier 1,000 miles in length, and 
not one case in ten was ever recorded in public 
print. It was the beginning of the end, and 
a few years ago the pow r er of the red man was 
broken, and he was compelled to yield to the 
inevitable. 

I was sent to Fcrt Laramie. Wyoming 
Territority early in the summer of 1865, hav- 
ing accepted the position of government scout, 
and I held that position all through the troubles 
of the next four years. It may be inferred, 
therefore, that I had my full share of close calls 



— 219 — 

and narrow escapes. As soon as fresh troops 
arrived at that and other forts, and the work of 
subduing the Indians began in earnest, every 
redskin who could handle a gun was put into 
the field. Indeed boys not more than twelve 
years of age armed with bows and arrows had 
the opportunity to show their metal and I 
knew of several fights in which the young 
squaws took pa't. It was the case of do or 
die with the Indian and he sacrificed his pride 
and his legends that he might hold his own 
against the white soldiers. 1 carried dispatch- 
es between Julesburg and Laramie, and between 
Laramie and Fort Feltermen, and outside of 
this accompanied detatched bodies on expedi- 
tions or scouted on my own account. There 
was never a day of rest and never a day when 
one felt sure he would live to see the sun go 
down. Soldiers were killed within a mile of 
the gates of the fort and tbe place was so con- 
stantly under surveillance that it was hardly 
possible to get in or out without being fired 
upon. 

The strangest adventure of the whole war 



— 220 — 

befell me in July 1866, and there was a mys- 
tery connected with it which has not been 
solved to this day, I had been out with a de- 
tached command of 160 cavalry which had 
scouted along the north fork of the Platte east 
from Laramie, to the Copper mountains. 
These mountains are the beginning of the Black 
Hills chain. On the east side of the mountains 
we turned to the north, rode for two days, and 
the cavalry then made a halt for a day and re- 
tired to Julesburg. The object was to cover 
as much territory as possible, and give the In- 
dians to understand that we were aggressive. I 
had to report to the commander of Ft. Laramie 
and instead of returning and ascending the 
Platte I decided to try for a pass through the 
Copper mountains, my fellow scouts having 
told me that several existed. I left the caval- 
ry camp soon after dark, it being about twenty 
miles east of the mountains. We had been 
dogged by the Indians for two days and I made 
my start at night to throw them off the scent. 
I had a jet black horse, speedy and intelligent, 
and the risk was not so great providing I did 
not run into a small band by accident. 



The first two miles out of camp I walked 
ray horse, both of us watching and listening; 
his senses were sharper than mine;he came to a 
dead halt, and pointed his nose 10 the west like 
a dooj flualnnor a bird. That meant danger. He 
had been traiued down fine before I got hira> 
and was to be depended on as though he could 
speak. I was no sooner off his back than he 
lay down, and I had scarcely crouched beside 
him when three Indians mouuted on ponies and 
heading to the east, passed us to the right on a 
walk. The nearest one was not over ten feet 
away, and I plainly scented the tobacco from 
his pipe. The ground was broken with masses 
of rock, outcropping here and there and it 
would have taken sharp eyes to detect us even 
at that short distance. I heard them mumble 
and mutter as they pissed on, and not until 10 
minutes after the footsteps of the ponies die I 
away in the distance did we rise and proceed. 
Had my horse been on the gallop, or had he 
been ten seconds later in discovering the red- 
skins, I might not have got away. 

Half an hour after daylight, having met 



with no further adventure, I was at the base of 
the mountains, striking the range seventeen 
miles from its southern end and at a place 
which has since been named Crook's Pass. 
I had 1 ttle fear of finding Indians in the moun- 
tains unless it was a body passing through the 
gap. As soon as I was secure from the prairie 
I made a fire, got my coffee ready and rested 
two hours. Then I set out to reach the other 
side of the range where I wonld either stay by 
until night, or push on to Laramie, according 
as the signs indicated. The pass for the first 
half mile was fair enough for a wagon. After 
that it was scarcely possible for a saddle-horse 
to make his way. It was difficult to tell 
which was the main pass and which the branch- 
es, and when about half way over the mountain 
I came to a spot where I was completely stuck. 
The pass I had been following was now split 
into three, each one seeming to be the main 
pass and as there was nothing to guide me I 
had to take one of them at a venture. If it 
was not the right one I must return and take 
another. I went to the left and after going a 



— 223 — 

few rods, found the pass or cut overgrown with 
bushes and badly choked up by a fall of rock. 
The cut was from 12 to 20 feet wide, twisting 
about like a creek, and gradually leading up- 
ward. The height of the bank on each side 
was from 50 to 200 feet, and the mountain was 
so densely wooded that the path was in semi- 
darkness. 

I got my horse over the obstructions 
which blocked my way, and proceeded on for 
half a mile, without finding any great change 
in the general character of the pass. Then it 
suddenly swerved about two acres in extent to 
the left and debouched into a cave which na- 
ture had so walled in that the most agile In- 
dian would have been put to his trumps to find 
a spot where the wall could be scaled. It 
would have been more in keeping with nature 
and the surroundings, had the cave been full 
<©f water, as small lakes of that kind aro fre- 
quently found in the mountains, but it was not 
only solid earth, but so fertile that thj sweet 
g»*ass was knee high, and there were flowers 
without number. Before setting foot on the 



grass, I saw that this was the end of the past 
I had followed and that I must return. I de- 
cided to let the horse graze for a v\hile, how- 
ever, and it was only after I had turned him 
loose that 1 caught sight of what appeared to 
be six emigrant wagons standing against the 
further wall. I was not sure of the character 
of the situation. My find seemed mysterious 
and I wished to run away. I should have been 
no more surprised to find a steamboat resting 
there. No emigrant had dared to penetrate 
so far into the Indian country in that direct 
tion and it was far away from the overland 
trail to California. The presence of these 
wagons meant a tragedy and I was loth to be* 
gin an investigation. I walked about the cave 
seeking to brace my courage and $ few yards 
beyond the wagons I came upon a heap of 
bones which I knew to have bjlonged to horses 
or cattle. A bit farther on, a huge tire-place 
had been constructed of loose stones against 
the face of a cliff, and the imokehad blackened 
the wall for a distance of forty feet from the 
ground. There was no sign of the presence of 



— 225 — 

any human being. It had been a long time 
since the last fire was built, as the grass wa§ 
growing among the ashes and embers. The 
key to the mystery must be hidden in the wa- 
gons, and I returned to overhaul them. You 
can hardly realize the lonesome look of those 
vehicles. They were standing one behind the 
other as closely as they could be drawn and the 
ight of them was proof that years had gone by 
since they ha l stood theis. I should say it 
would take at least ten years to bring about 
such a decay as I saw in them. They were 
large and heavy and made of the best material, 
and yet a shake would haye brought any of 
them to the ground. 

I began with the first wagon and I can easi- 
ly recall the contents of each. The first wagon 
was piled full of harnesses or the remnants of 
them, Time and decay had left little, except 
ihe buckles and they were badly rusted. I 
should say the heap contained the harnesses of 
at least a dozen teams. Iu the second wagon 
were a chest, two iron kettles, a jug and aheap 
of mould, which probably represented clothing. 



I hauled the chest out and kicked it apart, but 
the contents had gone to mould except in the 
case of fifty Mexican dollars which had proba- 
bly been in a buckskin bag. The third wagon 
also held a chest but I found nothing of value 
in it. I found in this wagon the rusted re- 
mains of several picks and shovels, and heaps 
of mould which represented either clothing or 
provisions. The fourth wagon was empty* 
The fifth contained picks and shovels and a 
rough wooden box. From this box I rescued 
a small one made of tin, and I broke that open 
to find $40 in state bank bills, a rude map evi^ 
dently representing the Copper mountains and 
neighborhood and four five dollar American 
gold pieces. 

- The fifth wagon had evidently been stored 
with provisions b.it I found nothing but mould. 
In the sixth were three chests, two shovels, 
three picks, the barrel of a rifle, a rusty ax and 
a keg which had held whisky. In one of the 
three boxes I found a silver tobacco box con^ 
taining sixty dollars in Mexican gold and a 
note or description. It had been written on 



— 22? — 

heavy papor and with good ink, but some of 
the words had faded entirely away and others 
had to be guessed* The following is the copy 
I made of it upon my return to Fort Laramie: 

* * * there will * * * about 20 and in * * * 
you should take precautions * * * Have Capt* 
Jim see that * * * powder and lead * * * three 
months or more * * * same general direction 
** * about due north from * * * must act for 
* * * shall expect * * * from man I send. 

The letter was unsigned and so much of it 
was illegible that we could only guess at the 
general tenor. There had been a private ex- 
pedition from Kansas years before. The party 
had sought shelter in the mountain valley. Had 
killed a portion if not all, their live stock for 
food. Then the men had departed but never 
one had returned to civilization to tell the 
tale* Ail may have been wiped out in the 
main pass or at the bau of the mountain, or 
some may have died in the cave. Had the In- 
dians ever found the wagons they would have 
plundered and burned them. The fact that 
they had not only deepened the mystery. I 



- 228 — 

had notice of the discovery published far and 
wide in the West and on two occasions guided 
parties to the cave that further examination 
might be made, but to this day the fate of 
those people is a mystery. 



Antelope Bill Poem. 

I have travelled from the Pacific to the 

territorial lines 
My trails and wanderings have been among 
the saporal and pines. 

I have roughed it and endured much hard- 
ship and strife 
You all may think it pleasant 10 hear of 
some of my life. 

Here is Antelope Bill and good Texas Jack 
In good and bad weather 
Heavy loads they did pack. 

Here's also our interpreter and our scouts 
three, 

Who have drank many a glass and never 
had a spree. 



Here's also Red Cloud and his dusky band 
We have conquered them now 
And can take them by the hand. 



Cut-nose the worst of the Sioux in the lot 
Of all the Indians made is the best shot. 

There's also Grey Eagle who soars in the 
air, 

He is not as good a warrior but still very 
fair. 

Out in bleak Dakota where the buffalo 
did roam, 

Where the white men are located and 
have a happy home 

There is dear old Maine, the place where 

I was born 
And also fair Montana upon the Big Horn 

Where we once lived in shanties; they 

were made of logs of pine 
Where we wiled away our young days and 
had many a merry time. 

Here one evening when at supper in upoa 

us came the Sioux; 
To'ok our horses, waved their blankets and 
with shouts, bade us adieu. 



— 230 — 

We were so down-hearted then, moved our 

camp and went to bed. 
At break of day we roused up, awakened 

by yells and volleys of lead. 
Soup Creek Bill and Jerry Towne were 

both killed in thd light 
Unknowing the Sioux conquered us then 

quickly took to flight. 
We left the dead boys' bodies under a 

cottouwood tree 
Knowing their pleasant faces we never 

more would see. 
The cactus was bad and water very stale. 
But after four days more we struck Sulley's 
trail 

In the distance was a cloud of dust rising 

in the west 
Nearer and nearer it came and then we 

stopped to rest. 
The sun was burning hot not a cloud was 
in the sky 

We gave up then our lives and felt that we 
must die. 

Nearer the dust cloud came at a rapid 

headlong rate 
And it proved to be our friends who saved 
us from our fate. 



— 231 — 

We were taken to the camp, and kindly 

nursed and fed. 
Here we told the sad story that the other 

boys were dead. 

A squad wa*? next sent out to find poor 
Town and Bill 

But the tree was never found so their bod- 
ies lie there still. 




S ttuke-vThe^ee — A Oneepamous 
Indian Iiately Called to the 
Happy Hunting Grounds. 




Strike-The-Ree, who died a few years ago, 
at Yankton Agency, was a great character 
among the Indians and early whke settLrs of 
this territory and some very interesting anec- 
dotes are related about him and his escapade, 
( n the western frontier. \ gentleman who 
has had a large experience as a hunter and 



— 232 — 

trapper, during the early days of the territory, 
relates the following anecdote which he ob- 
tained from "Old Dakota," an old French 
trapper in 1865. Old Dakota was then about 
fifty years of age, a Canadian Frenchman and 
had lived all his life on the frontier with the 
Indians. For several years prior to 1843 Old 
Dakota had roamed the wild western prairies. 
He had hunted with the Shoshones of the 
Pacific coast. He had been chased by the 
Crows and Blackfeet near the head waters of 
the yellow Stone, and had held high carnival 
in the "bull pens" of Mexico He had worked 
for the American Fur Company and had ranged 
all through the Black Hills, Wind River and 
Big Horn mountains as a trapper and Indian 
trader. 

Among the Indians who located around 
Fort Rice when the tribe paid their visit to 
trade with the white men was a young and 
buxom Indian girl, who after one or two in- 
terviews took forcible possession of the young 
Frenchman's heart. Nothing was more com- 
mon and according to the custom than he 



— 233 — 

should marry this fair child of the prairies. 
But alas! the young squaw's father refused to 
part with the girl unless the Frenchman gave 
him a good horse in exchange. Unfortunately 
the young trapper had parted with all his hard 
year's earnings ere his heart was taken by 
storm. The Frenchman was c 'broke." He 
had not the wherewith to buy a borse and 
without a horse he could not secure the dusky 
maiden for his wife. The trapping season was 
long since ov.r, and it lacked a month of the 
time for starting on the fall expedition. How- 
ever the young trapper shouldered his gun and 
left the comforts and amusements of Ft. Rice 
to seek the haunts of the wild game hoping to 
raise by the prosecution of the chase, the 
means of winning the Indian girl from her rel- 
atives. In the pursuit of game, in due time, 
he appeared at the Cannon Ball river with a 
goodly supply of furs. Two months had pass- 
ed in trapp : ng, when, following a new path, 
the adventurous trapper entered a deep and 
woody glen. Pushing his way through he at 
length came out on the edge of an open glade 



- 234 — 

near the mouth of the river, where he discov- 
ered a "mystic" lodge of the Yankton Indians. 
Under a peculiar custom of this tribe of the 
Sioux Indians, no young brave, though his 
father might have been the bravest of the tribe 
could rank himself among the warriors and be 
entitled to marry, or to enjoy the many other 
rights of citizenship until he had perform* d 
some act of daring and intrepedity. In the 
early spring therefore, the young men of prop* 
er age, banded themselves together in small 
companies and took to the woods — like knight 
errants of old — in search of adventure and 
peril. Having found a retired spot, they 
formed a huge conical-shaped hut, constructed 
of poles and branches of trees of from tweuty 
to thirty feet high lashed together at the top 
with strips of rawhide. Buffalo, beads, furs, 
kettles, scalps and other offeriugs, were hung 
up inside of this rude temple, as offerings to 
the great spirit and after many days of feastit g, 
dancing, and mystic rites, the hut was aban- 
doned, the vow taken and thj band started on 
their campaigu. Death was the sure portion 



— 235 — 

of him who should be known to enter and des- 
ecrate it during their absence. 

Upon one of these mystic lodges the young 
Frenchman had stumbled* Within the lodge 
were articles of more than sufficient value to 
purchase the necessary horse, yet, in spite of the 
temptation, the young trapper had too much 
honor to rob the Indian temple, and was about 
to move away when a hand was laid on his 
shoulder and a young brave stepped out from 
behind him and said: 

"My white brother has the eyes of a lynx, 
and the cunning of a fox. He starts out on 
his journey early in the season." 

The hunter laughed as he replied: 

"My wigwam is empty, and I would make 
it warm for the sister of the great chief. What 
luck!" 

The young brave shook his be d gravoly 
as he pointed to his empty belt and said: 

"Five moons have passed and gone since 
w T e left our homes many miles down the river, 
and our hatchet has not yet been raised. The 
Arickarets are cowards and hide in their wig- 
wams," 



t 



— 236 — 

In a little valley, surrounded by Cottonwood 
trees, and willows on the ltvel prairie, the 
Indian camp was pitched. Though the si- 
lence of the place was unbroken, twelve young 
Indians were congregated around a fire, parta- 
king of their evening meal. The trapper was 
cordially received by them and especially so by 
"Young Strike," as the hunter had given him 
the previous season the handsomest tomahawk 
pipe in the tribe. 

" Old Dakota", stayed the greater part of 
two days with the Yankton Indian war party, 
and started back in the direction of the Mis- 
souri river, hoping that he would meet with a 
good market in selling his furs, and thus be 
enabled to gain the hand of his sweetheart. 
But alas! When he reached his journey's end, 
after many days of weary travel, he learned 
that his faithless lady love, had. during his 
absence, married a French Creole, and that 
they had taken their departure. 

The Indian maiden had been flattered by 
the newcomer, who dressed in a new suit of 
buckskin and mounted on a high spirited run- 



— 237 — 

ning horse. And her avaricious papa was 
easily persuaded by the wily Creole — who had 
recently deserted a Mandan squaw and a troop 
of pie-bald children in the upper country — to 
accept of his running horse and five buffalo 
robes for the privilege of becoming Ins father- 
in-law. Wishing to avoid the just vengeance 
that would be meted out to them by the young 
trapper on his return, they had' skipped for 
more congenial parts. The young French- 
man was deeply affected and disappointed at 
the turn his romance of love had taken, and it 
took many weeks of dissipation ere he could 
obliterate from his mind's eye, the image of 
the fair young girl. After squandering the 
proceeds of his winter's work, he purchased a 
new trapping outfit and went toward the setting 
sun a sadder but wiser man. During this 
campaign he was joined by Young-Strike-The- 
Ree, and together they hunted through the 
country now known as the Black Hills and it 
was then they first discovered that gold existed 
there. Strike-The-Ree has since stated that 
the Indians found little lumps of gold w 7 hich 



— 238 — 

they used for ornaments. He says that the 
white traders (the American Far Company), 
traded beads and blankets for these lumps of 
gold. 

After this campaign <c Gld Dakota" went 
west and hunted through California and Mexi- 
co, and did not again strike the Ree till after 
the great Sioux Indian massacre in 1862, when 
4 ^Strike" narrated the events as they occurred 
then. He said that he was forced into the- war 
upon the whites, through a combination of cir- 
cumstances and that he was instrumental in 
saviDg many whites from the savages, who at- 
tacked the settlers under Rain-in«the-face,Hole« 
in-the-day, Little Heart and others In 1864 
Strike- The-Ree was a familiar character upon 
the streets of Yankton, and while there were 
scarcely 25 in the village, "Old Strike" was 
unanimously elected mayor. This was con- 
sidered quite a joke at the time. "Strike the 
Ree was a compicuous figure duringthe Indian 
massacre of 1862, and nothing pleased him 
more than to recount his adventures during 
that memorable event, when he claimed to have 



— 239 — 

saved many of the white settlers from a tor- 
turing death, by assisting them to escape to a 
place of safety. In one instance he says he 
carried a baby two miles, and assisted the sick 
mother to reach soldiers who were at that time 
somewhere on the Minnesota river. The old 
Indian was called to the happy hunting grounds 
at the age of 102 years. 

In conclusion I will say that the horrid 
details of the Indian atrocities we have endeav- 
ored to avoid and hope that the young man who 
reads this, if dissatisfied with his surroundings 
may learn to be content. 

"THE AUTHOR." 




Items About Jftatfshall, JWIinn, 

Marshall is the county seat of Lyon coun- 
ty, and centrally located, one of the most enter* 
prising towns in the state, one of handsome 
residences, magnificent brick blocks, and a 



_ 240 — 

wealth of beautiful shade trees; has about 
2,500 "population, two railroads, Ct and N. 
W., and G. N. f has a large roller flouring mill, 
electric plant and city water works, supplied 
by an artesian well 400 feet deep, throwing an 
abundance of water at over sixty pounds, 
pressure three of these" wells being in the 
village, Marshall is surrounded by a rich 
agricultural country and has all church and 
school facilities, the high school being in the 
'first •grade. All business is represented,' Home 
seekers can find here everything socially and 
otherwise, to make life pleasant. 

Marshall has much reason to boast of ifs 
town; people -courteous and hospitable to 
strangers, honorable and upright in their deal- 
ings, and take^higb rank as good citizens. 

The U. S. and R. R. Land offices are lo* 
cated here. , , -> 

All communications will be answered free- 
ly by addressing 
. :C BEACH & JOHNSON, 

■> Marshall, Minn* 



\ 



, L , , -yy * . — 241.— • :, j 

byon County, fKinn 

With a view of making better known the 
many superior advantages possessed by South- 
western Minnesota in general, and Lyon county 
in particular, over other more widely known 
localities, and to encourage good practical 
farmers to locate here, believe that there is a 
large class of farmers who have not the. means 
to purchase, high priced lands ^and yet are back- 
ward in going where land is cheap, and being 
obliged to face the hardships and privations in- 
cident 10 a new country, but who would be 
glad to change their location where they could 
enjoy all the advantages of an old settled coun- 
try, and still be able to buy cheap land. The 
writer's object therefore is to advertise this 
county. Not with the intention of booming it, 
not with the desire of painting a pretty word 
picture that would be dispelled under the clear, 
penetrating gaze cf cautious land buyer, but 
for the purpose of making a clear plain, .straight- 
forward statement of facts as they exist, and 
which will bear tho closest scrutiny. In fact, 



— 242 — 

we want investigation. This is as good a coun- 
try as the sun ever shown upon and it should 
be known. To those people then, who are seek- 
ing a change of location for the purpose of bet* 
tering their condition, the writer commands a 
careful investigation. 

L)on county has low taxes, good roads, 
cheap lands, cheap lumber, first class schools, 
a productive soil, an exceedingly healthy cli- 
mate, prosperous farmers and business men, all 
different church denominations, all the leading 
secret society organizations, land at 15 dollars an 
acre, some higher and some lower. Standing 
invitations to good practical farmers. 

The fact that the state experimental farm 
is located in Lyon county, is quite a drawing 
card for the county. Farmers are able to get 
a good many pointers from the result obtained 
on the farm. 

The star of empire seems to be taking its 
way to Lyon county Minn. 

There are over ninety miles of railroad in 
Lyon county. 



— 243 — 

There is always an opening for good far* 
mers. 

There are thirty-tive grain elevators in 
the county* 

The author of this book has lived in the 
country 31 years, 




Antelope Bill's first trip among the Sioux. 
- * • > . >. Page 7 



Captivity of Mrs, Wakefield ....... 55 

An Insult . . . . , 

The-Man-Who-Closed~the*Gate .... 60 

Incidents , g$ 

Antelope Bill's First Buffalo Hunt 88 
A Visit to Little Crowds Home., .... 

A Sick Man 99 

The Brown Family jo2 

Somedings Go Buzz — Buzz, . . 103 



Minus One Ear 107 

Horses tails Made Use of Many ways 111 
The Killing of the Jewett Family 

Near Mankato . 113 

The Capture by the Sioux in 1862 of 

John Schurch a lad of 15 . 115 

Remarks Concerning the Savages of 

The Northwest 131 

Battles of Birch Coolie and Wood 
Lake Reminiscences of the Indian 

War 142 

Birch Coolie > 164 

Execution of 38 Sioux Indians at, 

Mankate, Minn . , 1,94 

The Gallows 210 

Order of Execution 211 

An Incident 215 

The Resurrection., . .... 216 

Camp Mystery, 217 

Antelope Bill's Poem. .'. .... 228 

Strike- The-Ree, a Gnce Famous In- 
dian Lately Called to the Happy 
Hunting Grounds , 231 



Copyright 1898. 



1 

W17 





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